


You Didn't Ask

by theautomaton



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alpha Keith (Voltron), Alpha Shiro (Voltron), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Dirty Talk, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Smut, Knotting, M/M, Male Lactation, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mild Cum Inflation, Mpreg, Omega Lance (Voltron), Omega Verse, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-15
Updated: 2017-04-15
Packaged: 2018-10-05 08:04:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 21,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10301792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theautomaton/pseuds/theautomaton
Summary: "His dynamic didn't define him, he didn't care who they thought he was."Except he did, he cared a lot.





	1. Crumbling

**Author's Note:**

> Be gentle with me, I have no beta reader and any mistakes you see please tell me. Also, extremely new to the fandom but couldn't get this out of my head.

Shiro and Keith were an item even before it was revealed to them about a week after they had all realized it. Lance was the last to know, like always, but he didn't seem all that bothered by it at the time, even glad as he cracked a joke about it. It was a relief for the alpha couple, worrying how they would all react to two alphas being together, but they hardly reacted at all. Allura was maybe a bit confused, she had just gotten a handle on the new pack dynamics that had risen in most species across the universe, and was asking questions but with no judgement in her tone, just wanting to know. Coran was too busy trying to worm in his own recipes into Hunk's meal making plans to ask anything right then, but he did ask the occasional question though, instead of cornering them like Allura had. It was more casual and weighed on Keith's nerves a lot less.

 

Now, while both Keith and Shiro had thought Lance didn't mind, the other certainly did avoid them a lot. Even more than Pidge, who complained about their constant pheromone battle of dominance. They and Hunk were betas, and couldn't stand the scent of battling alphas, even if the "battle" was who goes under who that night and for how many rounds before they switch. But Lance was a beta too, and he was hardly there at all. He even ate in his room, they only ever met when he was training or suiting up to get in Azul again. They hardly talked at all, even in battle, all of Lance's communication were grunts or nods and God, that was more annoying than Allura asking about pheromones and mating and claiming bites for thirty minutes.

  
Keith was on edge by the third week of it, Shiro found he was getting worse at sparring, less concentration, more anger. Shiro himself wasn't fairing any better, he was destroying training bots faster than Coran could repair them. Keith destroyed his own room, and they were arguing more. The playful alpha pheromones turned more aggressive. Hunk and Pidge really couldn't stand it now, and spent almost all their time with Lance, wherever he even was. It made things worse, and Allura expected the "pack" to work it out themselves, until one day....

  
"Shiro don't fucking touch me!" Keith was yelling, bristling, angry alpha was all one could smell as they got anywhere near the training room. They didn't know where Keith began and where Shiro ended.

  
"Calm the fuck down!" Shiro growled back, grabbing the younger alpha by the shoulders and slamming him back into the floor, ignoring the ugly scent of iron when Keith's back hits broken shards from the bots. It didn't stop the smaller one at all anyway, flipping them over so he was on top, landing a punch to Shiro's jaw.

  
"You calm the fuck down! I'm gonna rip your other arm off you little-" The threat dies in Keith's throat, both alphas looking up to the familiar yet so... unfamiliar scent of a certain beta.

  
Lance was staring wide eyed at the scene before him. Everyone was, really, but the alphas didn't notice anyone but him.

  
Both Keith and Shiro let go of each other, like scolded animals tearing away from each other, leaning down to scent Lance like starving men eating their first meal in months. They ignored everyone and everything other than pushing their noses to the scent glands at Lance's throat, holding the beta tight.

  
The world around them seemed to come back slowly, in bits and pieces. Shiro's the first to pull away. His face, at least, he's still reluctant as ever to let Lance go, but he does have the decency to let his cheeks redden when he sees the others staring at them. Pidge and Hunk give each other knowing looks, but Coran and Allura look between frightened and intrigued. Kind of like the look they get when they find out more things about their pack dynamics. That was probably exactly what was happening.

 

He hears Lance make a choked sound, and moves to squeeze Keith's shoulder, who's still pushing incessantly at the scent glands, now at both of them. Shiro vaguely wonders how a beta could have two before going back to trying to pry Keith away. "Keith, let him breathe."

  
At that, the smaller alpha finally pulls away. He doesn't have the same decency as Shiro, instead turning a glare at his boyfriend before looking back up at Lance, who was dusty red all over, bright blue eyes stuck between shocked and embarrassed out of his mind. Keith is far too proud of himself and his mate to apologize for what they'd done. "What?"

  
Lance squirmed against their hold and finally, the alphas let go, watching the beta pull his shirt up over his nose. "You reek! What's wrong with you two? Where's the loving relationship gone? Do you need couple's counseling?" There was a silent sigh of relief amongst everyone in the room, tension leaving postures, Lance's goofiness as per usual giving them familiarity with the strange situation.

  
"We need to talk." Shiro says, grabbing at Lance's shoulder and leading him to Keith's room. Allura makes a move to follow, but warning growls sound out from everyone except Lance, and she takes a step back again, surprised.

  
"What just happened?"

  
"Sorry princess." Pidge says, moving next to her and leading her away, "Pack thing. Keith might tear a throat if you're not pack, and you can't be pack since you can't scent any of us so it's for your own good."

  
"So hey." Lance starts, nervous scent rolling off of him in waves. "Where are we going guys?" He tried.

  
Keith stops and suddenly pushes his nose up against Lance's throat again, making the beta whine at the attention, "You fucker, you ignored us for so long, we forgot what you smell like." He took another long draw and Lance whimpers.

  
"I'm sorry." Lance says weakly, going limp when Shiro "scruffs" him so he tilts his head back so they could both push their noses against Lance's glands.

  
Shiro growls at how easy the beta submits, ignoring the voice in his head saying how odd it was for a scruffed beta to submit so quickly. Instincts for most betas lead them to struggle a bit before processing if the person who scruffed them was friend or foe, but Lance must've trusted them so much he didn't need to process anything. Keith growls his approval, obviously pleased with the trust the beta had given them both.

  
And all of a sudden it stops, Lance reaches back and swats at Shiro's hand. Of course the swatting wouldn't do anything to get the alpha's grip to ebb, but the sudden change in scent from calm and trusting to panic did. Keith pulled away as if burned worried they had somehow hurt Lance, both wanting to apologize for whatever they did but before they could even get a hold of themselves Lance was out the door.

  
Lance ran down to the hangar, a panting mess with red cheeks and hoping Shiro nor Keith followed him. He looked at his seat and leaned against it. They'd been so close, they felt both his scent glands, they scented him for so long and never noticed the scent of fake pheromones, but the scruffing must've given him away. And if it didn't, he didn't want to give two extremely smart alphas time to figure it out.

  
Taking suppressants didn't start out as an attempt to hide his dynamic, not really. When he was signing up for the Garrison they told him he had to take suppressants to prevent any heats near the alphas of the ship. His mother blew up on them, but they reassured that the alphas of the ship were subject to their own kind of suppressants to keep their ruts at bay, and if he found a mate on the ship there were special services to prevent pregnancy and a room for them during their cycles. Which did some wonders to calm his raging alpha of a mom, and his more docile beta sister.

  
Suddenly, everyone just assumed he was a beta. His pheromones had been suppressed enough for him to pass off as a beta, with the saltier side of his scent his sisters said was the ocean itself staying behind. It was a more neutral scent, like most betas, and he shrugged it off. His dynamic didn't define him, he didn't care who they thought he was, that is until Keith and Shiro became such a huge part of his life. Hunk and Pidge too, but they knew when they had to help him to the nurse's office when they gave him the wrong subscription for his suppressants. He was so near a heat, Hunk and Pidge almost threw up from how he was twisting in pain in their arms. They gave him the right dosage, and kept him in the private room as a just in case he went into heat, letting only his team mates come to see him since their beta status would mean they'd be able to reign in instincts faster if needed.

  
Plus, Hunk had begged so long and hard to see his "best bud", finally the staff was just tired of him.

  
But Keith and Shiro assumed as soon as they met him that he was a beta, and he preferred the attention he got as a beta instead of the kid glove handling he got from other alphas as an omega. They sparred with him like they meant it, and he was getting better and better to the point he had Keith pinned in the training room for a while. He would have never gotten that genuinely good if they were taking it easy on him for being an omega. Hunk and Pidge kept reassuring it wouldn't happen, but he couldn't take that chance. Accepting Pidge wasn't a cis male beta was easier than accepting Lance was a cis male omega instead of a beta. Betas like Pidge weren't rare, omegas like Lance definitely were. And more often than not, treated as precious stones instead of just.... people.

  
Hunk and Pidge didn't treat him that way, mostly because of how angry he got the first few times they did. Hunk tried sneaking him better food, even got in trouble for it, but he didn't invite Lance to the food stealing escapade and the pilot had been furious. Then, Pidge tried giving him a warm outfit for no other reason than he was an omega, and Lance stopped talking to them for three days, really messed up their simulations actually. They stopped when they realized they were giving him the treatment he despised so much. They couldn't be sure how Keith and Shiro would react, but if it was similar it would get worse than just a scuffle between the alpha couple once Lance actually got angry at them.

  
Lance dragged his hand through his hair and went to check his suppressants. Two shots left, several destroyed from an attack. He'd been keeping them in Azul's cockpit to inject them in secret, giving him the excuse of "personal lion time" if Shiro asked, but a particularly hard blow during battle knocked them around and shattered them. Few were left, giving him less time to prepare to tell the alphas. His leg bounced nervously and he out his head in his hands. Time. The more he thought, the worse he got, thinking things through was worse than just doing.

  
Lance was going to start doing again.

  
He took both syringes and stared at them, long and hard, before promptly throwing and shattering them against the wall at the other end of the cockpit, making Azul murmur in worry and maybe a bit of annoyance but let it be.

  
If he couldn't tell them, his scent would.  



	2. Disobedience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternate name: Pack mom?

Lance awoke in a nest of blankets and pillows, having a bad habit of going around and collecting them when he was anxious. He must’ve done it last night while his decision was still weighing on his mind. Silently, Lance thanked his upset self for making the nest in Azul’s cockpit, at least the others couldn’t barge into her and find him in the very omega-like position. One missed dose and his instincts were already clawing their way out of his system. It had been way too long since he had last allowed himself a nest to sleep in. Not for lack of needing one, but mostly out of fear the alphas of the pack would find it.

 

He stumbled out of Azul, still in armor and needing a serious shower along with very loose clothes after having his armor jab at him uncomfortably all through the night. Of course his upset self would forget that one very important detail. He made his way to the showers, and while usually he wouldn’t think about showers where everyone was watching as a relaxing experience, after a night in his armor it was damn near a spa. Maybe he’d actually meet them all for breakfast, he was feeling better.

 

He’d barely made his way down to the kitchen table when he could feel the way his team mates were ready to tear at each other’s throats. Lance didn’t know who the anger was directed at, but something stirred in him to break it up before he found out. Omega thing, he remembered his aunt explaining when she had gotten back from work with two nasty bruises on her face after getting between an alpha and their beta while they were fighting. She didn’t even know them, he could only imagine what an omega would do for their own pack.

 

He could only imagine the damage his particular pack could do if he tried it.

 

A deep breath, which he later realized his mistake when all he smelled was angry alphas and betas, and he went to his usual seat to enjoy a breakfast with his very angry looking team. Keith kept glaring at Pidge, who didn’t budge with their own glare right back. Shiro wasn’t really looking at anyone but he was glaring down at his food like he was about to slap it silly. Hunk seemed stuck between actually eating and looking up at Keith and Shiro like they had personally put a bee in his bonnet. Lance was… so confused.

 

“So hey” he cut in, twirling his fork into the food on his plate, “Are you guys going to keep killing each other with your eyes or are we eating?”

 

Pidge slammed their fork on the table, “Go on Keith, tell him why we’re mad.”

 

The growl the alpha gave even made Allura, at the other end of the table, straighten in her seat. “I’m not the pack alpha, ask Shiro.” And with that he turned to his mate, fury softening but still there.

 

Shiro finally looked up, hardly keeping the glance he sent Lance’s way subtle. “I just suggested Lance not train with us today.”

 

“You used your alpha voice Shiro.” Hunk tells him, brow furrowed in that way Lance knew meant he was angry but struggling to keep a cool head. “That’s not a suggestion.”

 

Lance looked over at the alpha couple, temper running thin already, “You alpha voiced at them? To keep me away from training?”

 

Keith growled, “They wouldn’t listen.”

 

Lance growled back, in an instant on his feet, but Allura stopped him with a calm hand before it escalated anymore, throwing a look over at Shiro. “And why can’t Lance train today?”

 

Shiro put down his spoon gently enough. It was still too loud in the sudden silence. “I don’t want him getting injured.”

 

“Shiro, that’s hardly a reason.” Allura wrinkles her nose a bit at him. “Just yesterday you both nearly killed each other because he ignored you. Now you want him to spend even more time away?”

 

“You’re not pack, you don’t understand.” It definitely wasn’t like Shiro. Well it was, but not around them. He always gave them a reason, they were pack after all. As their alpha, he had to do what was best for them, but he never left them out of the loop when it came to orders for each other.

 

Lance made a face at the alpha, “I’m pack and I don’t understand shit.” Pidge gave him a look, he plowed on despite the warning in it, “And since when is Allura not pack? She’s the best part of this pack. What the hell is wrong with you? She brought this pack together, we wouldn’t even be a pack right now if it wasn’t for her. Where’s Coran? He gets in on this too, wherever he is. They’re pack, even if they can't scent me or any of you, we can scent them.” Lance stands again, no aggression behind it this time as he moves to Allura’s side and lays his chin on her head. “This is probably weird for you princess, just push on the raised part of my throat with your face or something. I don’t know, point is it doesn’t work unless you rub it in. My scent glands aren’t under my chin like Keith and Shiro.”

 

The pack is all tense shoulders and barely held back growls. Allura has a feeling that what Lance is doing isn’t the norm for their dynamics, but the offer to finally be a part of her paladins’ most intimate way of life is too tempting to pass up. She does as she’s told, worried that anything else she may do or say will cause offense to the already sensitive atmosphere. She’s certainly surprised when she smells something. Faint as it may be, it smelled of salt and sand and warm, an odd little sweetness working into it as she pushed her nose against the small mounds on the human’s neck. She doesn’t know when is enough, but let the way the stiff paladins slowly relaxed tell her it was done, and she pulled away with a small smile. “Thank you, Lance. Never knew you could be so…”

 

“Amazingly, gloriously merciful and lovable?” And the moment was gone, Allura exasperated with the human already, “I know, I’m fantastic and just so giving, where have I been all your life.” Allura rolled her eyes at him, but there was a fondness there, and Lance just couldn’t leave it alone. “Awe, you know you love me. And really, who could blame you?”

 

There’s still something that reads as tension, and the only one who dared break it was Hunk, who leaned over to sniff at the princess gently, “She definitely smells like him.” He finally said. Pidge agreed.

 

“Lance.” Shiro says, all alpha warning and promising some form of punishment. On the others, it would have worked, but Lance straightens in such a defiant way Shiro worries his beta had separated the pack bond and no longer reacted to his alpha voice for a moment before he felt the attachment to the other thrum with rebellion. This time, he growled, “You should have asked before doing that, I am the pack alpha.”

 

“And we’re-“ he pointed to each of them, exaggerating the motion when he got to Allura to make his point loud and clear, “-the pack, and I know you do what’s best for us, but isolating us is some fucking bullshit right there.”

 

“Lance!” Pidge cried, making the other wrinkle his nose at them and mutter an apology for his language.

 

Both Shiro and Keith are on edge. Their betas being silently dissatisfied at their choices, that they were used to, but both of them being scolded by one, let alone that one being Lance, was a blow to their biological need to keep their pack protected and following them.

 

And Lance just didn’t stop. He slammed his hands down on the table, looking straight into Shiro’s eyes, and the alpha hated the way he straightened under the gaze, “Why do you not want me with you guys today?”

 

“I told you-“

 

“You lied.”

 

Shiro closed his eyes, just to stop looking at deep, emotional blue. Those eyes, he couldn’t lie to them, couldn’t even stare for too long. He’d drown, there was just so much in them. Keith, however, knew how to make the ocean in those eyes freeze over, go hard and not have that same effect. He’d drown out that overwhelming need to just listen to Lance, do anything for him, with snark and jabbing remarks. They had turned playful lately, and it was getting harder, but Keith could still look Lance in the eye.

 

“Last night you ran off. We thought you wanted to be alone, what were we supposed to think?” Keith said, heat in his voice that had no reason being there. It was enough to get that blue gaze to shift from emotional, searching, coaxing to hard, unsatisfied.

 

“I don’t know, ask?” Lance shot back and yeah, Keith couldn’t argue with that. Soon he was staring at his lap just like Shiro. Like scolded pups, he snorted at himself.

 

Scolded by their beta.

 

“Right.” Shiro finally gave in, daring to look into Lance’s eyes. “Do you want to train with us today, Lance?”

 

The smile that stretched out on his face made Shiro forget that he was the leader for a moment, “Yes, alpha.”

 

 

 

 

Keith had a knowing look on his face as both he and his mate watched Lance spar with Pidge. Shiro was shifting, waiting for his mate to finally just stop with that damned look and say whatever it is he had on his mind so he could concentrate on the pack and give them tips. Thirty minutes in, Pidge having already tapped out and Lance moved on to Hunk, and Keith still had that damn look on his face. “Stop it.” Shiro said, pout on his face and cheeks going red as Keith spares him a look with amused, purple eyes.

 

“Our beta just chewed out the alpha couple in front of the entire pack, and you’re whipped.” Keith didn’t laugh, but Shiro could hear the laugh in his head anyway. It made his lip curl.

 

“You are too.” It was supposed to be accusing, but realizing he sounds like a child, he clears his throat again and stares defiantly up at the pack.

 

“Well duh.” Keith rolls his eyes and Shiro would forever be impressed Keith was so casual about this, Shiro could hardly keep his mind off of Lance telling them off that morning. “Have you seen him?”

 

To that, Shiro says, “I have, that’s why we’re both whipped.” And Keith snorted.

 

They were both hopeless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I'm a little all over the place, I have a way of writing things that I feel shows the confusion from the characters by confusing the reader just a little. That and being bilingual always did make it hard for me to really grasp some stuff when writing. I write how my thoughts work and how I speak so it can get jumbled, sorry.


	3. Sick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro needs to know he's the alpha they need.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW, not all that detailed, mostly Keith dirty talking.

Keith groaned, head falling back against the pillow as a warm, wet tongue worked at his entrance. While usually he’d be trying to get Shiro under him right about now, Shiro seemed stressed enough as it was. Pushing away his instincts to claim was some trouble, but his mate needed something and if he could give it to him, he would. Especially if it stopped the other alpha from being so damn moody around the pack all the time.

Keith drew in another sharp breath, watching Shiro push his legs up for a better angle. There was something wrong, though, and Keith reached down to tug at his hair, “Shiro” The older alpha moved away, staring fiercely at anything but Keith right then, as if already knowing what he was going to say and it made his mate even more worried for him. “Shiro, you’re going to have to tell me what’s wrong.” Keith sighed, sitting up to run his fingers over his alpha’s skin, feeling the broader chest and shoulders, skirting over his ribs. While Keith would still hold onto his dynamic with pride, Shiro truly was a great example of what an alpha should look and act like, except that lately he wasn’t.

Said alpha sighs as well, watching his mate’s hands trail over him before leaning over to do the same to Keith, admiring the way the skin jumps under his touch, “Lance is. I know he’s right, but I’m worried he’s… unhappy with me as alpha. I keep trying to be a good alpha to them, but all I do is upset Lance.”

Keith nodded, legs tangling with Shiro. He wasn’t a cuddler, not because he was an alpha but because he really didn’t like too much contact for too long and cuddling was nothing but that. But for Shiro, they both had to fight parts of themselves to be together and love each other. Their instincts, first of all. Shiro’s difficult past, Keith’s own issues. It was hard, but they made sacrifices for each other, both more than willing to give and take as long as it meant love. “You keep trying to act like an alpha, but Shiro you idiot, haven’t you noticed that the best part of you being pack alpha is that you don’t act like one? You’re a leader, sure, they submit to you and so do I, but that’s a gift from us to you. It means we trust you, just the way you are, just…. Act like you.”

Shiro nodded numbly, still having a hard time believing it, “Why would anyone want a-“ he gestured at himself with his Galra arm, “-a broken alpha.”

“You are not broken.” Each word was punctuated with a push to his chest, making Shiro lay back as Keith clambered over him, “You are the black paladin, head of Voltron, leader of one of the most impressive groups of people I have ever seen in battle. Not only that, but you’re the pack alpha, the first alpha to have an alien with no dynamic in their pack no doubt. Let alone two aliens with no dynamic.” At that, Shiro snorts. It’s no thanks to him that they’re pack, Lance had done that. Keith ignores him, covering his mouth. “No listen to me, you have an incredible pack who trusts you more than anything Shiro. They can’t all be wrong about you. And what about me?” he moved his hands to Shiro’s shoulders now, pushing at him weakly, “Do you know any alpha who can happily say he has an alpha as a mate that has no issue submitting and being bred for them as long as it goes both ways?” 

“Not many, I’d imagine.” But he was smiling, hands settling on Keith’s chest, his human one soaking up the feeling of his heartbeat against his fingers. “You really believe all that?”

“Of course I do.” He scuffs, “And you’ll never get me to say it in front of the pack.” But he’s massaging Shiro’s shoulders, sighing a bit and leaning down to kiss his jaw, searching for the scent gland under his chin. “Now start acting like Shiro, our alpha, or I swear I’m telling Lance.”

He huffed a laugh, rubbing his chin down into Keith’s hair before letting the other mark him right back. “Anything but that.”

 

 

 

Pidge was laying across Hunk’s lap, knees up in an odd position but Hunk didn’t really mind them. They always draped themself all over anything and anyone when they were trying to settle in to tinker with their new projects. Hunk was their favorite thing to drape themself over, he made for intelligent conversation and even helped when they got stuck with something about their project.

Today, however, as they tinkered away, Lance sat comfortably on the floor in front of Hunk, back resting against his legs. Occasionally, he offered a limb for Pidge to use as a perch for their new invention, but didn’t really talk, watching the monitor and the characters prancing about. A movie, Coran had said, but not in a language he could understand. Still good for entertainment though, and Lance found himself purring fondly when both Pidge and Hunk engaged in one of those talks he could never keep up with but felt a claw of pride in his throat. His best friends were so smart, they had a hang of alien technology in the smallest amount of time out of all of them. Especially Pidge, which made him even more proud considering how young they are.

He was totally turning into his sister after she joined her mate’s pack, he realized, feeling pride in his pack members as if they were his pups.

Actually, Pidge was still a pup so he was okay with that one.

“Can we cuddle?” he asked suddenly, and a screwdriver fell handle first on his head, making him squawk and scramble away. “What the hell?”

Both Hunk and Pidge were staring at him before Pidge cleared their throat, “Yeah, sure, let me just put this all away.”

And that’s how Lance found himself between them both, a purring mess as he laid over Hunk’s chest and Pidge laid on his back, both idly talking over his shoulder to each other. He knew it was weird for him to be like this, knew that they wanted to ask but didn’t want to ruin the moment, so he just laid there and waited for one of them to trail off the idle chatter and finally ask.

Hunk did first, “So uh, Lance, anything you have to tell us?” there was a nervous grin on his face and Lance returned it before maneuvering so he pulled Pidge in for an awkwardly angled hug as he spoke.

“I stopped taking my suppressants.” He offered and Pidge froze from trying to find a more comfortable angle to hug him, staring at him with wide eyes.

“Are you-?” Pidge was cautious but Hunk finished for them.

“Are you going to tell them?”

“They’ll notice once my scent changes.”

Pidge snorts, “After that talk you gave them, if they don’t already know they’re hopeless.”

 

 

 

They’re absolutely hopeless, Shiro decides, in the middle of rutting desperately against his mate who is saying the filthiest things to him as their knots began to form. The thing is those filthy things were wrong, on a whole other level, because they definitely should not be thinking about their packmate who just scolded them like pups that very morning while they were about to climax.

And yet-

“Imagine him, Shiro, on his knees, begging for our knots.” The older alpha groans, gripping Keith closer, trying not to aggravate the marks on his back. “Imagine him all plumped up from our cum.” He’s breathless, Shiro doesn’t understand how he’s still speaking at all though when he’s so utterly gone. “Come on, alpha” Keith growled into Shiro’s ear, nipping at it, “Breed your beta” and he came, gasping and desperate. Keith took the opportunity to rut against his hip until he spilled over him and the sheets, now both trying to catch their breaths.

A few minutes later, that felt like hours, “We’re sick.” Shiro says, chest rising and falling harshly.

“We want him.” Keith corrects and Shiro groans.

“We got off to the thought of breeding him.”

A snort, “Who wouldn’t?”

“We can’t.”

“It’s a fantasy not an expectation.” Keith tells him and Shiro relaxes just a little, kissing his mate’s sweaty hair.

“Let’s clean up.”


	4. Hold Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything goes terribly right

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW, Smut
> 
>  
> 
> You'd think with all the porn I've written I'd have a hang of it by now but nah I'm still awful at this.

Lance’s need for comfort and contact by just about anyone willing to even breathe the same air as him does not let up the next morning, when he finds himself pressed against Allura’s side who has begun to, reluctantly, indulging him more often. Not to the point where anything he wants she’ll give to him, but she could definitely allow him to sit by her side and press up against her with quiet purrs. It was as soothing to her as it was to him, she found, and wouldn’t mind doing it more often. She notices Coran’s absence again for breakfast, mindlessly noting to ask him why he was spending so much time away, even after she told him Lance had officially made them both pack. She’d ask later, when she wasn’t waiting for the pack and running her fingers through Lance’s surprisingly soft, short hair.

“What brought you to wake up so early, hmm?” she looked down at him, seeing his nose pressed to her collar bone. Her heart squeezed, wishing she could comfort him with her scent like the pack could, but she only smelled of him from the day before.

“I slept in Azul.” He yawned, settling in even closer to the princess. He didn’t mind the lack of soothing scent, before he left home some of his sisters hadn’t presented yet and they smelled of nothing just like Allura and Coran. Their warmth was enough, and so is the Alteans’.

Allura hummed in acknowledgement, glancing over as the rest of the pack poured in, Coran on their heels which made her smile, glad she wouldn’t need to go looking for him to ask about his absence. Good morning Paladins, Coran.” They all nodded at her, looking down at where Lance was pressed to her chest, and her cheeks colored a bit. “Lance is feeling a bit…”

“Clingy?” Pidge supplied, amused as they watched Lance nod against the princess’ chest.

“Clingy as they come.” He said, making grabby hands at Coran who tries to walk by, but even he couldn’t resist leaning in for Lance to pull him against his chest. “Coran hasn’t gotten scented yet and I’m doing it.” Lance tells them, already pushing Coran’s face into his throat. “Rub.”

“Well, I suppose-“ But Lance is shushing him, so Coran stays quiet and rubs against the glands the way Allura said she had, taking a whiff of the scent itself. “You actually smell quite nice.”

Lance snorts at him, but ruffles his mustache when he pulls away. “Thanks, now let’s get to breakfast!”

 

 

 

Keith and Shiro are planning for training when Lance becomes a topic of conversation all over again, and Shiro wonders if the beta will ever get off his mind.

“He’s getting so close to everyone else, maybe we should try too?” Shiro suggests, receiving a poisonous look from his mate. He offers a small, fond smile. Keith growls at him for his trouble.

“If he wants to cuddle up to everyone but us, then forget him.” He huffs and crosses his arms over his chest, stinking up the hallway with jealousy. Keith’s attitude isn’t a surprise, but it does make Shiro laugh at him silently, trying not to make him any testier than he already was.

“Like either of us would ever be able to forget him.” Shiro snorts, then pulls Keith in close, trying to drown the scent of jealousy with affection. “We should try, everyone else is doing it, and Lance seems to be happy enough. As his alphas, we should give him what he needs.”

“He hates me, Shiro.” Keith muttered and Shiro moved to nip at his ear.

“Since when? Rivalry, no matter how one sided, does not mean hatred, Keith.” He rubbed at his back gently before moving down to press their lips together, “Lance will love us if you have anything to say about it.” It got a smile out of his precious mate, so Shiro dared to go in for another kiss.

“I do. Let’s go watch something.”

 

 

 

Lance walked in on the alpha couple sitting in the common room, Shiro with his legs laying over Keith’s lap, head on his shoulder. It’s a sweet sight, which Lance plans to ruin. “Hey love birds.” He says, loudly, making both startle and stare at him, “Sorry to interrupt but I kind of really want cuddles.”

Keith stares for a bit before offering a slow nod, Shiro with an inviting smile slowly shifts to make room for Lance on Keith’s lap, but Lance stops him by going over to tangle his legs with Shiro and settle on Keith, shifting to shove his face in his chest, and Keith wonders if he’s dreaming. But that damn look Shiro is giving him, the same one he gave him after Lance told them off, tells him it’s definitely not a dream. Both alphas gently fit their arms around Lance, and are surprised to hear soft purring as soon as they do.

Shiro is the first to speak, slotting both Lance and Keith under his chin, “You’ve been cuddling up to almost everyone in the castle Lance, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong.” Their beta shrugs, and the alphas feel an odd rush of satisfaction at feeling the movement so easily, “Just instincts.”

Keith blinks a bit, glancing down at the other in his lap, “O….kay?” He was sure betas didn’t need this amount of contact, but maybe Lance was a special case.

Lance glanced up at them, snorted, then moved to push against the scent glands under Keith’s chin, demanding to be scented. The alpha complies, and Shiro moves to do the same once Lance paws at his chest until he gave in.

 

 

 

Keith pushed Shiro up against a wall in the showers, lavishing his neck with bites, licks and kisses, bruises forming on the skin even as he just moved on to his collar bone to suck in a nice mark. Shiro bucks under the attention, hands going for Keith’s hips and sliding down to pull him closer by his thighs. They both groan at the contact, Shiro’s head knocking against the wet tile wall, Keith under the running water looking like a dream, head swimming when the younger alpha drops to his knees and swallows him down like he was made to suck him off. Shiro’s knees nearly go out, but Keith seems determined to keep him up and swirl his tongue around the head of his cock. “Keith!” the alpha gasped, fingers tangled in long hair as he watches those beautiful, purple eyes shine with amusement. He really hated when Keith got like this because he’d be a begging, purring mess by the end, usually with Keith’s knot in his ass and drool on his chin.

Keith pops off and spits into his hand, giving his own cock a few pumps as he watches Shiro’s twitch, “Want something, alpha?” Keith cooed, moving to lick up from the base to the tip, making the other whimper.

“You-“ He takes a deep breath before dropping along with Keith, moving to put his own hand on his cock, “You’re doing this because of Lance.” At Keith’s appreciative groan, Shiro gives a trembling grin, “You want to fuck me because you want to fuck him too. Did you see him? Demanding we scent him?”

Keith’s head falls forward and he shifted to grip Shiro’s cock in return, “Keep talking, alpha, never knew you had it in you.”

And Shiro would have kept talking too, if it wasn’t for the sweetest scent of arousal hitting him. Too sweet, alphas don’t have such sweet scents.

But omegas do.

Keith seems to have caught it too, moving faster than Shiro can catch, and he panics thinking that an omega had gotten into the castle and was now about to be chased down by an alpha in a frenzy. Shiro scrambles to follow after his mate, catching him half way down the hall and tackling him to the ground. He used his Galra arm to pin him, growling dangerously to get his mate under control, letting Keith scent him as the sweet scent trails away.

“I’m sorry.” Keith gasps, and Shiro realizes his mate is starting on possibly his first rut ever. The suppressants alphas took at the Garrison were made to last far in between, and his must have run out and washed out of his system. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help it-“ he gasped, back arching off the ground as Shiro collected him, “I couldn’t help it, omega-“

“I know, I know.” Shiro knew, he had been near losing himself too, but was lucky enough to have just gotten out of his own rut and wasn’t pushed into it by the scent of an aroused omega, “Let’s get you to your room okay, my mate?”

 

 

 

Lance was going to walk away. He was going to walk away and act as if he didn’t see the alpha mates sucking each other off in the showers and murmuring sweet nothings to each other, he swears, but then they said his name, and Keith was getting off to the thought of actually… actually fucking him. He couldn’t help it, slick started up before he could even stop himself or run away. But then they stop, and Keith’s sniffing at the air. Lance’s body knows what’s happening before he does and he’s running off, back to Azul so fast he hopes even the alphas can’t catch him.

Keith was in an early rut, because of him. He drove one of the alphas into an early rut, and he wasn’t even in heat yet. But he did feel hot all over after that sight, and mutters apologies the entire time he has hands in his pants teasing himself until the tight coil in his belly loosens. He’s sticky all over, but chooses to wash up anywhere that is not the showers. He doubts the scent of early rut and Keith and Shiro has been washed away at all, he doesn’t think he can handle it. Especially not after seeing how badly they both wanted him, badly enough to include his name in their own… personal time together. He’s clean and settles in for a good night’s rest, curling up and soaking up in the comfort Azul offered him.

He was confused, but Lance promised himself to sleep on his options.

 

 

 

Keith is clawing at Shiro and palming the alpha’s cock in his hand as the older man bounced on his lap, letting out groans and gasps. Keith had never truly been in rut, especially not with a mate, but it was crashing down all at once after smelling that omega’s arousal. He sat up to bite at Shiro’s shoulder who moaned and stiffened in his hold, white spilling over their bellies. Keith however was far from done, switching Shiro over to slide back in, white dripping down his own thighs as he fucked into his larger mate. “Fuck, Shiro, fuck…” his words were quiet, whispered against the older alpha’s shoulder blade as he fucked into him.

They’d been at it for so long, Shiro was certain that if it wasn’t for him being used to these marathons with Keith he would have passed out, but rut related marathons were different from the normal relationship related ones. He wondered, vaguely, if this is how Keith felt when he was in rut. He’d be giving him more gifts for it from now on then, it was enjoyable of course but he was absolutely exhausted. He had taken Keith the first few rounds, but now he could hardly shift without his thighs singing with exhaustion. The rut would only last a day, without a partner that could actually be bred the hormones would die down, but it still felt like years until Keith finally flopped on top of him with a firm knot locking them together.

“I think we’re both going to need a healing pod.” Shiro breathed, reaching over to pet Keith’s hair, wincing at the puddle of cum he nudges with the movement.

 

 

 

Lance breathed evenly that morning, staring up at the ceiling of the hangar. Azul rumbled with worry next to him, but he didn’t pay her much mind. His suppressants were working out of his system quicker than he thought, he was being pushed closer to a much needed heat after catching a whiff of Keith’s rut. It felt like it would still be a few days for it, maybe a week, he didn’t know exactly, but he knew he was smelling sweeter now. Less salty ocean, more coconut and mangoes and dark chocolate. It shouldn’t work all together, but Lance realizes he smells like his old home and it brings a tiny smile to his face.

“What would my abuela say if I told her I was in love with two alphas that are in love with each other and me?” He felt amusement sink through the bond he had with Azul, smiling lightly, “Or mami? She’d be pissed I hadn’t proposed to them both by now.” Lance snorted, but the smell of sadness took over the hangar and Azul tried to poke him through their bond, to cheer him up. “She’d love Shiro, I know she would. He’d probably be like another son, Keith would be my sister’s favorite hair styling dummy. You know? We could all be a family, I want a family.” He turned to Azul then, staring at her massive paw, “I’m not that old, but I want pups. I want their pups.” He felt mild annoyance through the bond and chuckled, “Cubs then?” He swore, he felt Azul nod. “Well, cubs. I want their cubs. But we’re in the middle of a war, how… how would we even handle that? No one else can pilot you-“ the mere thought of it seemed to make Azul aggravated and he smiled softly, “-and how can I pilot while carrying?”

He felt another nudge, not Azul, and lifted his head as he watched Pidge come in with Hunk following behind.

“Well if you’re having cubs, I’m the god parent.” Pidge says, arms crossed over their chest and Hunk bumps in over their shoulder.

“Just call me uncle Hunk!”

Lance smiled. Maybe it really would be okay.


	5. Carajo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance has a bad habit of acting as a shield.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Violence, blood, kid nearly in the line of fire.
> 
> If this stuff makes you uncomfy don't read this chapter.

Lance has a feeling that defending the universe doesn’t stop it from hating you.

He slips into his armor with practiced ease and heads down to Azul before anyone even tells him he has to. He had already been halfway there anyway, for a nap after training so hard, but of course there was a distress call. Of course Allura wanted them to check it out. He’d never understand when it would get into that gorgeous head of hers that they had to stop responding to every single distress call immediately before they even knew what was actually wrong, but she was even scarier than his mom about it when he tried to tell her to stop doing it. He’d been guilt tripped about “helping anyone and everyone who needs it” for a life time.

He just wished he’d stop ruining it every time.

“Lance!” Shiro calls through the comm, and Lance sighs.

“Yes, alpha?” he muttered back, still having a hard time keeping up with everything after training and not getting his beauty nap.

Shiro rolled his eyes fondly at the other end before shaking it off, “You and Keith can go find out what’s wrong with the locals, Hunk, Pidge and I will scout for any signs of immediate danger. Report back to us if you find out what’s wrong first.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to go with them, Shiro?” Pidge teased but was already turning to follow orders, just like Hunk was even though he snickered at their joke.

“Pidge, Hunk, listen to your father.” Lance called, already moving with Keith toward where the distress signal had come from.

 

 

“You smell different.” Keith says when they land, Lance glancing over at him and wondering how on earth he and Shiro ever judged him for not knowing that Pidge was different.

“Yeah, I bet.” He smirked just a little, walking over to where he saw movement, being slow and cautious in case it was hostile, but still not drawing his weapon. “Can we talk about my scent later?”

Keith raised an eyebrow, “You? Actually putting all of your concentration on a mission? Who are you and what have you done with Lance?”

“I just think talking about this right now isn’t a good idea. I should know, I am, decidedly, the king of bad ideas.” Lance tossed over his shoulder, moving to hide behind a patch of odd looking bushes. “That stuff over there looks Galra to me.”

Keith followed Lance’s eyes and got down, immediately switching on his comm, “Guys, we have Galra tech over here.” Nothing but static on the other end. “You try.” He looks at Lance, who nods and switches on his comm.

“Alpha?” nothing. “Pidge? Hunk?” still nothing, he was getting anxious. “Princess?” He tried again, and looked over at Keith to shake his head. “Do you think they’re okay?”

“I have a feeling we should worry about ourselves first.” He nodded towards the camp where the Galra had taken a turn from loading their ship to heading straight for them. Keith drew his weapon and so did Lance ready for a fight that, in Lance’s professional opinion, was just “totally unfair”.

 

 

“I can’t get a hold of them, Shiro.” Allura says, voice calm but the pack is sure that if she had a scent they’d all be able to smell the panic rolling off of her.

“Do you think they turned their comm’s off?” Hunk asked, then winced, “Never mind, I heard myself as I said it, Keith and Lance would never do that.”

Pidge nodded their agreement even if no one could see them do it, “They must be in trouble, let’s head to where they were.”

Shiro was biting his tongue the entire way, the pack alpha in him rearing an ugly head. He felt rage boil deep in his stomach, rage he hadn’t felt since the Galra did to him what they did. His mate, and the mate they planned to court, were in trouble because he didn’t go with them. If anything happened to them, he’d rip every Galra ship apart with the very arm they forced on him.

 

 

Lance had been hit, twice. He was sure Keith could smell the iron, but they were both too distracted to pay any mind to their injuries. As long as he could shoot and Keith could fight, he’d keep going on. “Keith-“

“I know!” the red paladin barked back, slicing through as many Galra as he could, occasionally glancing at the weeping wounds in Lance’s thigh. Both those hits were meant for Keith, and yet he hardly had a scratch on him, the other was taking hit after hit for him and the alpha in Keith was both pleased and pissed off. A potential mate that took a bullet for you was a mate to keep. But the alpha in him felt like he should be the one with those shots in his thigh. But Lance just wouldn’t let him.

Lance glanced over the crowds of soldiers, eyes going wide when he sees a small alien being lead by gunpoint into the ship. He took aim, and shot the Galra leading the child. “Keith! There’s a kid!”

Keith looked over Lance’s shoulder, spotting the frozen in fear child and he cursed. He knew what Lance wanted him to do, and he hated it. “Cover me!” Keith called, running through to get to the child as lance blasted down any soldier that took aim at the alpha.

Leaving the ones that took aim at him completely open to do so.

A shot to his arm was nothing, Lance decided. He could still aim, Keith was already feet from the child, all he had to do was keep them from getting shot while the red paladin got back to his lion. All he had to do was stay alive for long enough to clear the path for them. A shot to the shoulder, the one to his knee making him stumble forward, but he never took his eyes off the soldiers aiming for the child and for Keith. Not until he saw the others and their lions, relaxing slightly.

At least they’d be safe.

Vaguely, he wondered if his mom would be proud of him for dying while keeping a pup and his alpha safe.

 

 

Shiro was out of his lion as soon as the threat was gone, running to his mate who had a pup in his hands. He didn’t question it, just checked over Keith and the child, anxiety clawing at his chest.

“Shiro- Shiro I’m fine!” Keith called, pushing him away and holding the terrified child closer. “Get Lance!”

Shiro nodded blindly, rushing towards Lance- Lance, who was laying on the ground, unmoving. “Lance!” He screamed, at least he thought he did. Since when was everything so numb?

“Shiro…” The body breathed, and he fell to his knees next to him, pulling him up into his lap gently. “Hmm… you’re really warm.” Lance tells him and Shiro sobs.

“Lance Allura is on her way, don’t speak.” His hands hovered over the holes in Lance’s armor, a sound leaving his throat when he just doesn’t know which one to press against.

“Let me tell you something first.” Lance breathed, looking up to watch Keith come over. He offered a tiny smile to the alphas, “Tell you both, then.”

“Stop talking.” Keith said, voice stern even with tears pouring down his cheeks. “Stop talking, save your strength.”

“Shh.” Lance lifted a bloody hand to Keith’s cheek, the other petting at the hand Shiro had on his own cheek, “I just wanted to say I’m an omega, haha, had you guys fooled for so long.”

Shiro choked and hugged Lance closer, watching the castle come over head. “Allura’s here, we’ll fix you up, then me and Keith are courting you and we’ll have so many pups-“

“Cubs.” Lance says, there’s a smile on his face, an inside joke and Keith hates how calm he can be, even now as they carry him.

“Cubs.” Keith agrees, watching Pidge grab the child he had left by his lion and leading them into the castle. “So many cubs, Lance. You’ll give us the prettiest cubs.”

“I like cubs.” His eyes are closing, Keith panics and Shiro hands Lance off to him since he’s faster. Lance wants both their warmth and he whines, “No, I want you both…”

“And we want you.” Keith said, breathless and exhausted, “But you need to be alive for that.”

 

 

“It will take several days for him to fully heal.” Coran said, carefully moving away from the healing pod and looking in to see Lance there, eyes closed with an odd smile on his face. It didn’t fit, it shouldn’t fit, and yet it was so like Lance to have that look on his face that he doesn’t bother even thinking about it.

“None of us have ever taken so long.” Pidge whispered, feeding a spoonful to the small mouth of the child on Hunk’s lap.

Keith decided to stare at the kid instead of at the omega in the healing pod, alpha in him roaring in pain at letting the potential carrier of his future pu-cubs be hurt defending him. That’s just not how it worked for them. It shouldn’t be, but Lance was so strong, he would never let anyone get hurt for him but he would always get hurt for anyone who needed the help.

Allura looked to both Shiro and Keith, sitting so closely together, trying to comfort each other. She… she and Lance had a different bond than the one she had with the others. He was infuriating at times, but she was just so fond of him. And seeing him, and the people that loved him, in this state made it even more infuriating how… how good of a paladin he was. “He’ll be alright. Get the little one to bed, we all should go to bed, Lance would not be happy if we didn’t take care of ourselves.”

Shiro laughed wetly, hiding his face in his mate’s hair, “When will he take care of himself?”

“You know what Lance would say?” Pidge had this look on their face, so fond, child on their hip with their head on their shoulder.

Hunk laughed, kissing the kid on the head. 

“Carajo.”


	6. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Déjà vu

The pack settled around the child Lance had nearly died for, watching it pick at the shirt they put over it for warmth before tangling itself up in the fabric and rolling around. It would have brought fond smiles to their faces if the worry about their pack omega being hurt wasn’t weighing so heavily on them. It kept going to Allura and making grabby hands when it wasn’t busy rolling around. Allura noticed it seemed to favor the parts of her that were still covered in Lance’s scent. Pidge had offered a theory that maybe its past caretaker was an omega and it found comfort in the vague scent of one. It didn’t like Keith, even when Keith was the one who saved it. As far as they were concerned it never even got near Lance but seemed soothed by anything with his scent, even if the scent was from before his suppressants began to wear off. So Pidge’s omegan theory was thrown out the window.

When they left the child alone, it would travel the halls until it found Lance’s healing pod. More than once, Hunk had found it curled up in front of it, even murmuring things in that special kind of baby babble that reminded Hunk of his baby cousins. It had an odd twist to it, something that hinted towards a different language. The others took turns watching Lance and the child, setting up a little nest for it so it didn’t sleep on the floor.

It only ate what Coran made, no matter how disgusting the paladins found the choice of food. It didn’t answer any questions, they all resigned to just call it “the kid” and several other synonyms. They were sure that if it could speak, their language was not the same, and with how determined it was to ignore them in favor of watching the rhythmic rise and fall of Lance’s chest in the pod, it wasn’t going to learn any time soon, until, one day, Pidge decides to tease Shiro and Keith about becoming “daddies” with Lance. A good way to lighten the mood. A good way to get both alphas playfully angry at them instead of hating themselves for what happened to Lance. But then, a tiny voice squeaks from Hunks lap, and the all stare at the child, not believing their own ears.

“Daddies!” the child repeats, more enthusiastic, obviously pleased with getting the words out, and Hunk has a tear in his eye that he nearly forgets he was feeding the poor thing until it whines at him, “No, food!”

“Oh I’m sorry.” Hunk choked, moving to fit another spoonful in the restless child’s mouth. Only when it calms does he look up at the alphas, expectant.

Keith looks caught between extremely happy and extremely constipated. It looked like it hurt, and they were fairly sure he wasn’t breathing until a heavy hand, Shiro’s, fell on his shoulder and pushed it out of him.

“I think we have a cub now.” Shiro breathed, and Keith made a wet, shocked noise, words obviously beyond him. Shiro swallowed and looked to the kid, motioning to both him and Keith, as well as the pod where Lance still lay. “Daddies?” he asked and Keith choked.

“Daddies!” the kid agreed, throwing it’s hands up and knocking the spoon out of Hunk’s limp hand.

Keith suddenly snaps out of it, turning to Pidge with a murderous glare, only getting a smile from the beta, “This is your fault.” he hissed.

Pidge only grinned wider, going to grab the kid and hold it up in front of the alpha couple. They were using it as a shield from the alpha wrath, and it worked like a charm, “Aw come on, look at your cub, what would Lance think?”

That made both alphas swallow, and when the kid reached for them they couldn’t resist moving to lift it from the underarms before holding it between them. Keith looked over at Pidge and mouthed the words “I hate you” before turning back to the child now nestling itself in the crook of Shiro’s neck.

 

 

It was three days before Lance finally awoke from his sleep in the healing pod. He was fully healed, but starving. Logically, he knew that the pod had given him all the nutrients he would need, but that was nothing compared to a nice, hot meal Hunk could whip up for him. Smacking his lips together, the omega had a strange sense of déjà vu as he nearly stumbled out of the pod like he had so long ago. Everything in him froze his foot as he moved to step out, and suddenly he was very aware of the very soft breathing coming from the floor in front of him. Lance glanced down and stared at the tiny sleeping form, confused, until it looked at him with big blue eyes and furry ears turning toward him and whispered, almost in awe something Lance never really thought he’d hear while still being so young.

“Daddy.” 

He glanced up from the tiny alien child calling him “daddy”, watching the rest of the pack walk in. “Just how long was I out?” the question was directed at Coran mostly, but the wide and confused eyes were for anyone in the damn room that wanted to give him an answer right then. As much as Lance wanted kids he didn’t particularly remember popping any cherries just yet and having one, oh no, he’d remember something like that.

“Three days.” Coran answered cheerfully, stepping over the kid to help Lance out.

“I find it really hard to believe I had a full grown child in three days.” But he was leaning down, shaky stance and all, to lift the child up onto his hip, brushing fur away from its eyes. “And it doesn’t take after me so answers, please.”

Keith raised a brow, walking over, hands twitching with the need to touch but not just yet. “You don’t remember?”

“Remember having an alien baby?” Lance snorted, Keith twitched. “No, Keith, I don’t. I’d remember something like that.”

“Déjà vu” Pidge said, wiggling their fingers in the air which seemed to call the child’s attention and a giggle from it. The room became saturated with the scent of fondness from the entire pack, even Lance couldn’t help but lean down to plant a loud kiss to the child’s head.

“Well you didn’t birth it, Lance. We wouldn’t particularly let an alien court you.” Shiro said, matter of fact, before moving to let the kid curl a tiny little fist around his Galra index finger. “You saved it from the Galra, that’s why you’re in a healing pod.”

Lance breathed in before nodding, moving to press his face against the child’s ear, “It called me daddy.” He whispered and at Keith’s snort, felt like he was missing something.

“It calls me, Shiro and you daddy. It’s Pidge’s fault.” The green paladin snickered and Hunk bumped shoulders with them.

“Never thought we’d be an uncle and godparent this quick!” Hunk called, smile bright, and Lance moved to punch him, stopping only when the kid cries out at the lack of contact with Keith and Shiro.

Lance mouthed ugly words at both Pidge and Hunk, and they just looked back at him with those evil little grins that he was tempted to pinch their cheeks for. 

 

 

Keith’s eyes, yes, both eyes twitched as Lance made annoying baby noises at the kid, tossing it in the air in a way that made Keith’s heart stop the first damn five times, and now just made him incredibly exhausted. Shiro, the bastard, was tickling at the child’s belly whenever Lance laid it down to coo at, and Keith wondered if he was just suddenly surrounded by old omegas in a nursing home, showing off his new born.

“Could you stop? It isn’t even our actual cub, what if the parents are looking for it? Or however family dynamics works for its species.” He said, irritable. Truthfully he wanted to talk about the promises they all made together while Lance was loopy from blood loss, and if he truly wanted what they had offered. Instead, both his mate and his potential mate were busy cooing at the alien child that nearly got Lance killed.

“I was turned into swiss cheese for this.” Lance held the child up by the leg, having long learned that being upside down was actually preferable for it. An hour being awake and he already knew more about the child than all of them knew combined in the span of three days. “We’re keeping it. We are naming it. Shiro, what’s a good name for our son?”

“Son?” Shiro asked, sitting up straighter, “How did you know that?” Nevermind the ‘our’ Lance had thrown in so casually, but Keith was over choking up about this kid by now.

“Had a feeling. Names, shoot.”

Shiro looked off, indecisive, and Keith groaned at him, “You name it Lance, Shiro is awful at names.”

“I named my lion blue in Spanish.” Lance said, deadpan, staring up at Keith. 

Shiro laughed next to him, picking up the kid, “We all named our lions their colors but in other languages we speak, Lance.”

“Oh then that’s good because we are definitely naming him Luis.” Lance said, immediately cooing the name to the child.

Keith squinted, “Louis?”

“No, Luis.” Lance said, making a face at him. “Pronunciation is everything.”

“Right.” The alphas agreed, staring at Lance.

They were, undeniably, whipped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rewrote this, twice.


	7. Pack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance has great stamina.

Keith stared at Lance, off in a corner of the training room, gently dressing their adopted child in clothes he put together from his own shirts. He knew how to sew, which surprised none of them considering the amount of siblings he lived with before the Garrison. He had to know how to mend clothing, in fact they assumed all his sisters did as well. But it was such… a mate worth sight, Keith could practically feel his inner alpha rolling over to entertain his potential mate and show trust.

It wasn’t like what he felt for Shiro, but similar. It was still love, he loved both of them unconditionally. But instead of the playful battle he had with Shiro, with Lance it felt like it would be… different. Not a battle, at least not instinctively. It felt like Lance would balance them just nicely, no more battling his inner self just so he could love Shiro, with Lance even in the same room their alphas seemed to calm significantly. He just couldn’t put his finger on it, but with Lance he knew there would be no jealousy amongst them. No more rolling around, see who pins who, fighting instincts. Just their love.

They needed him.

Keith nodded to himself at the revelation, looking at Shiro then. “I want to bite Lance.” He tells him, and the larger alpha comically slips on air and slams his back into the floor.

“What?” he gasped up at Keith, looking at his mate with wide eyes before scrambling to sit up. “Keith you know what that-“

Keith snorted down at Shiro, making sure Lance wasn’t listening before leaning down, teeth dragging against Shiro’s earlobe. “I want all of us to bite each other. As in, I want you to bite me and I want to bite you, and I want you to bite Lance after he bites us both.”

Shiro sucked in a sharp breath and tried not to groan. “Keith, we’d be bonded forever.”

The shorter snorts again as he straightened back up, “That’s the plan. You really think I’d let anyone touch either of you after you’re mine?”

“Well we have to court him first.” Shiro took a steadying breath and stood back up slowly, moving to drape himself over Keith and huff at him, “Also don’t do that we should be training, not daydreaming.”

Keith smirked a little, hand going to Shiro’s hip. “Don’t worry, next time I talk about biting it’ll be with my teeth scraping your mating gland.”

Pidge made a loud, disgusted noise behind them, “Stop yourselves.”

Hunk’s nose was wrinkled, “Yeah, gross, don’t do that.”

 

Keith had this odd ability to make people feel small even if they stood a head over him. For Lance, it was worse because he was only taller by an inch or two. It was like creating an illusion he had some sort of advantage and having it ripped out from under him once Keith actually opened his mouth and looked at him with that certain look that made him shrink under it. Of course, in the middle of sparring, Lance would never point out that weakness, just continued to stand tall and dodge the alpha’s hands when he could, quicker on his feet than he remembered being before. It was getting to Keith, he could tell “Lance, dodging is swell and all-” He swung his leg down, aiming for Lance’s lowered shoulder, and his heel promptly connected with the ground when the omega just… wasn’t there anymore, “-but it does nothing if you can’t land a hit!”

“A lo contrario, alpha mio.” Lance drawled, feeling proud that Keith seemed out of breath already, “I have more stamina than you do, you’ll probably faint on me first.”

Shiro smirked from his spot with Luis on his shoulders, “Lance is right, Keith.”

“Do not take his side!” Keith called back, stumbling when his foot once again connects with nothing but air when Lance dodges again. Of course Lance is right, Keith was already slowing down, but that didn’t mean he had to admit it. When he started, he grazed Lance once or twice, even landed a solid kick to his arm, now all he hit was the air between them. “What the fu-“ he gasped, falling away from a punch to his unprotected middle, staring up at the omega in shock.

“I win!” Lance called triumphantly, leaning down to pin Keith as per the rules of whoever won the sparring lessons, grinning down at the alpha. “I totally won. I can’t believe it, and to think all I had to do was tire you out.”

Keith grunted, then as a wonderfully vicious idea came to him, the alpha grinned before rearing up and tugging Lance into a kiss.

Now Lance wasn’t entirely hopeless in the world of physical affection. In fact, he kissed more friends on the mouth than he had his actually romantic partners. Hunk would know, he was the one he kissed so casually for the majority of their stay at the Garrison everyone was convinced they were mates, but it really wasn’t like that. But with Keith it was different. Lance wanted Keith, and the fact Shiro was a few feet away, watching, made the want pool in his chest heavier until he was pressing down on the alpha and kissing him back with all the enthusiasm only Lance could have after that training session. Keith’s hands remained at his hips as they kissed, obviously not wanting to hungrily tear over his body and scare Lance off by advancing too quickly. The kiss itself was a stretch, but he didn’t want it to end. And neither did Lance, not really. Arms were around Keith’s neck, and they only pulled away for breath, staring at each other and not looking away until Shiro leaned down with Luis on his hip, brushing fingers through Lance’s hair to get his attention before pressing their lips together firmly. More like a promise than needy, and Lance found himself purring into the contact.

“Does that mean you’ll let us court you?” Keith asked from under them, hands running up Lance’s side idly before going to his throat to poke at his scent glands, wanting to bathe in the no longer polluted scent of omega and Lance.

Lance hummed against Shiro’s lips before pulling away, licking his own lips a little and presenting his throat for the alphas to nuzzle against and relieve his scent glands. They’d been swollen since he worked the last bit of his suppressants out through training, and scenting Allura and Coran was definitely not enough to relieve them, but two very insistent alphas and his cub might do the trick. “What does courting mean to you two?”

Both alphas paused at that, looking up at the omega between them, obviously confused because, well, wasn’t it the same for everyone? So Lance took the moment to elaborate.

“When my sister was courted, her alpha would bring her flowers for the first week. The second week, they’d bring meat from the animals they hunted on their own. The third week they brought an egg in an incubator and told her that the next time she saw them, they would be holding a chick.” Lance smiled a bit at the memory, sliding off of Keith and to the floor to stare up at the ceiling. “And that’s what happened, the alpha, big, bad, alpha of a pack full of just other alphas, was holding a tiny little chick and feeding it when my sister next saw them. Then they promised that the next time she saw the chick, it would be strong enough for her to have it.” He laughed a little and looked at them, “And it was! My sister loved that little bird so much and took care of it like her own pup. The last thing they did to court her, was take her to the pack and have everyone scent her, but that was because she wasn’t pack before that. They mated like, a month later, my sister wanted to wait a bit because she was nervous and her alpha respected that and never pushed for anything.

“You get what I’m saying though, right?” he turned fully to look at them, taking both their hands and cooing gently at Luis, “Where I’m from, alphas prove they can provide and that they know their omegas down to what’s their favorite flower. I don’t actually like the process all that much, I already care a lot about you two and you don’t have to prove any of that.” He took a breath, “But, there’s still a lot we have to learn about each other. I think, the way I’d like to be courted, is just us all laying it out there so we learn each other inside and out before we mate.”

Keith stared at Lance, long and hard, before leaning in and pecking his lips. “You need to stop sounding so serious, you’re taking my place.” He murmured, but there was a gentle smile tugging at his lips. “Alright, I have no issue with it.” He looked at Shiro now, “You?”

Shiro nodded and leaned in for his own kiss, letting Luis get closer to Lance so he could get a kiss from the child too. “Sounds better than your idea to prove to Lance we could protect him.” At that, Keith’s cheeks went up in flames.

Lance’s lazy smile turned into an evil grin, watching Keith groan and cover his face. “Oh? And how were you going to do that, mullet head?”

Keith groaned louder and pushed Lance’s face away, “I just suggested we spar! Why is that such an awful idea?”

“Because I beat you. If anyone proved they could protect someone, it was me to you.” Lance smiled, but kissed Keith’s cheek to prove there was no malice there. He moved to snatch Luis out of Shiro’s arms, twirling with him to the showers. “I’m cleaning our son up! And while I’m at it going through my own beauty regimen, it’s been a while. See ya!”

Both alphas stared after him before Shiro turned back to his mate on the floor, leaning close to his ear, “You just got beat in hand to hand combat by a sharp shooter.” 

“Shut up!” Keith screeched, pushing the other alpha away, face a deep red now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not too well right now so if you catch any mistakes, more than usual, that's it.


	8. Courting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Love, they never actually said it, but it was heavily implied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Literally only sex. This started out as a "I will let them actually talk about their lives to each other for a chapter" and it turned into sex. It's probably my longest chapter, and it's just sex. Where did it all go wrong I wonder?

Keith and Shiro both knew that Lance wanted to know about them, but listening to the omega was so much more enjoyable than talking about their less than savory past. Lance talked about his sisters, about how two were betas that acted as the alphas of their packs, taking after their grandmother who was the only omegan leader of a pack. His mother was a true alpha, he was very fond of her and spoke of all the women in his family with a sparkle in his eyes that just made both alphas’ hearts swell. Keith asked about anyone who may have carried him, since his mother being an alpha would have been his sire. It took some time for him to open up about it, but when he did he was glad to see the alphas didn’t judge his mother for having cast aside her mate after hearing they had planned to hurt Lance and the pack. Shiro definitely understood the need to do what was best for the pack even if it was difficult.

Whenever the alphas finally decided to speak about themselves, there wasn’t really that much to say in terms of their life before Garrison. It was sad for Keith and dull for Shiro. The Garrison was their only chance at having some form of genuinely intimate relationships, and now Voltron was their second chance. Seeing that the alphas were almost pained to speak of their past, Lance decided to ask simple little things. Favorite colors, foods, even sleeping positions. He learned more from seeing them interact together than speak anyway, and they seemed to really be trying for him, to court him the way he wanted.

Lance knew finally that he really did want to be with both of them, as their mate, and his decision couldn’t have come at a better time. His heat had stalled after being injured, but now he could feel warmth pooling at the base of his spine and he swallowed. There were no heat rooms in the castle, Lance couldn’t lock himself away and medicate himself to make sure he didn’t get heat sick for a week. He needed a heat partner, or partners, and who better than his mates? If they said yes, that is.

And here he was, in Keith’s room, staring at both alphas’ very serious faces, trying to coax words out of him out of sheer will. He’s sure that if he stood there for long enough, they’d actually manage to do it. “I want to be your mate.” Lance let out, all in one breath, staring at them both and waiting for their response.

Keith sucked in a breath, gripping at Shiro’s hand before standing to press his lips against Lance’s mating gland. “Are you sure?”

Lance nodded, watching Shiro stand to do the same, purring comfortingly as he nudged Keith a bit to get at the mating gland too, “Will you be our omega?” he moved to press his lips to Lance’s softly, “Forever?”

Lance nodded again, eyes hazy, leaning into their touch. “I’ll be in heat soon.” He told them, fingers going up to both their lips, feeling their thinner lips against the pads of his fingers. “I want you both as my heat partners, as my mates.”

It was Shiro’s turn to suck in a breath, gripping the omega closer as Keith took to lavishing the nape of Lance’s neck with nips and kisses, “Lance, Keith and I want to bond with you, permanently, is that something you’d want with us at some point?”

Keith hummed from behind, giving another kiss to Lance’s mating gland, “Doesn’t have to be right away.” He reassured, purring happily when the omega melted back against him, watching Shiro sandwich him between them from the front.

“Yeah, yeah I think I’d like that.” He moved to grind his hips forward against Shiro, and backward against Keith, “Maybe not this heat, but the next?” he offered breathlessly. Both alphas, at that point, would agree to anything as long as Lance kept moving against them like that. It was a mistake to let Lance see the effect he had on them, because the omega planned to take full advantage of it. “You know-“ he started, voice purposely more airy and in little more than a whisper, making both Keith and Shiro press closer to hear every word that left those soft, plump lips, “-I’m not in the full throes of my heat yet, and I always wanted to be a little more in control of myself for my first time, either of you big-“ he ground against Shiro firmly, “-Strong-“ he took Keith’s hand off his side and guided it to his behind, “Alphas want to be the first to fuck their little omega?”

The alphas groaned at the intoxicating creature between them, hands moving over the thin body, Shiro’s Galra hand keeping from touching under his clothes so it didn’t cause discomfort. Lance noticed the hesitation and pushed his own shirt up, taking the cold, metal hand in his own and pressing it over his heart. Obviously, Shiro couldn’t feel it, but the gesture made him growl in approval of their soon to be mate, sliding away to rid the omega of his shirt entirely before he and Keith went back to caressing every inch of Lance they could, enjoying the omega’s sounds of pleasure.

Shiro managed to find his voice in the form of a long and drawn out, “Fuck”, lips running down Lance’s chest until he was on his knees in front of him, kissing at his naval and holding his hips loosely, in no rush to stop Lance from grinding back against Keith, “Which one of us would you like, Lance?” he breathed, inhaling the scent of the beginnings of Lance’s slick like it was his first real breath of air he’d had in all his life.

 

Keith surfaced from where his lips were firmly locked around Lance’s scent glands, moving to brush against Lance’s earlobe, “We won’t mind who you choose first.” He ground forward against Lance’s ass, smirking at the way Lance’s head fell back against his shoulder to present his throat more.

Lance purred happily at hearing that, not wanting to upset his alphas if he picked one over the other, which he wouldn’t really be doing. Lance was sure, even in his inexperience, that he could handle a second round. “Keith, I want you first.” He finally breathed, grinding more firmly against the short alpha. “But don’t think I don’t want Shiro inside me too, no knotting today.”

Both alphas shuddered at the implication, having no problem with the conditions set by Lance just thinking about the omega going for more than one round. Shiro pulled away enough to help strip Lance out of the rest of his clothing. They stared at the scar covered body, even though it wasn’t the first time they had seen him naked, but it was such a personal moment now. It was different, they would be the only ones to see Lance naked like this, wanting and flushed and hard and slick. Being the first people, hopefully last, to see Lance so ready like this, was a nearly spiritual experience for them.

“Wait.” Lance said and both alphas paused, wondering anxiously if they had done something to make their omega uncomfortable. Instead, Lance smirked at the looks he received from them, taking Shiro’s chin and leading him up to his lips. Not kissing him, just standing close enough to graze against the other’s slightly chapped lips. “Don’t panic, I just wanted to say I want to sit on your face first, Shiro.” The older alpha sucked in a breath to keep from whimpering, “Gotta stretch me for Keith, don’t you?” Shiro nodded desperately and Lance smiled. “Good boy, alpha.”

Keith hid a smile against Lance’s neck, not actually expecting him to take advantage of the fact he had them both wrapped tightly around his little finger, “What would you have me do while he stretches you, Lance?”

Lance hummed, contemplating, before a grin stretched his lips, “You can fuck my face, but you can’t cum until I’m nice and stretched and sitting in your lap.”

The shorter alpha stared at Lance in shocked arousal, nodding dumbly as the omega lead them both by the napes of their necks to the bed. Keith wondered, with a vague sense of amusement, if one day he and Shiro would find themselves on their knees in front of Lance as he held them by leashes.

They fell into positions quickly enough, all their clothes tossed to a forgotten corner. Lance was nervous but he was eager more than anything, and none of them were about to stop to tease him for it when the control he had over the alphas was so… genuinely arousing.

“Fuck, Lance.” Shiro murmured, hands running over slick dampened thighs, watching them stretch further as Lance lowered his hips over him even more. He leant up, running his tongue over the wet entrance, nearly purring at the omega’s answering shudder, “Sensitive…” Shiro stated, almost in awe as the taste took over his instincts, grasping Lance’s hips to pull him closer and suck at his entrance greedily.

Lance gasped above him, thighs shaking, though he trusts Shiro’s strong enough to hold his skinny ass up if his legs failed him but still. “Fuck, he’s really good at that.” He told Keith who was settling into his spot in front of him. He ground down against Shiro’s mouth, then took Keith’s length in his hand to give it a few strokes, “Let’s hope I’m as good with my mouth as you two seem to be.” He leant forward, licking at Keith’s slit and watching him shudder.

“Fuck, Lance, aren’t you a virgin?” Keith muttered, no malice in his tone, there was no way he would ever mind that, ever.

Lance moaned and ground down more insistently against the tongue now carefully teasing it’s way inside of him, “I am, doesn’t stop me from having thought about this for a long, long time.” Leaning forward, he kissed the head of Keith’s cock before fitting the head of it between his lips, moaning against around it and Keith was only left to wonder what magic Shiro was working under them that had the omega so eager to start fitting him, inch by inch, into his mouth. He knew first hand that Shiro’s skill when it came to working his lovers open with his tongue were nearly illegal, but he was never more grateful for it than now that he had an eager, inexperienced mouth slowly swallowing him down.

There was something particularly heated about having their mate between them like this, ready to accept them both completely, even make a permanent bond between them at some point. The fact that all their lives they were told a mating with an omega was something so blessed or impossible to do without tradition dictating every step of it, and there Lance was, calling the shots and driving them both up the wall with total control…. It was something that was so true to Lance’s nature, always surprising them, never conforming to anything. Even when they thought he was a beta, he didn’t quite fit that either, but it was good. It was annoying, but it was good. This though? Better than good, it meant everything in that moment. Shiro and Keith felt complete, to be able to share their love with Lance like this, heated as it was, passionate, that was more of a blessing than any tradition could ever try to tell them.

By now, Lance’s nose was nudging at the coarse hairs at the base of Keith’s cock, and he nuzzled into them slightly, which nearly made the alpha lose his footing. That action, any other moment would have been sweet and innocent, now it was probably the filthiest thing that had ever been done to him. Which was saying something, considering Shiro and he had quite the libido and tried almost everything. “Fuck.” He breathed, suddenly understanding how his mate had been brought to his knees by the omega, those damn eyes could make anyone weak. Long, pale fingers curled in brown hair, tugging gently, “Plan on moving, mate?”

Lance moaned around the organ in his mouth, hole twitching as he felt Shiro’s finger prod gently before sliding into the slick, more forgiving hole. In fact, as the alpha licked around his own finger, he fit in a second digit and met no resistance. It made him shudder, with Lance so relaxed like this, distracted by what he was doing with his mouth and how Keith was talking to him, preparing him would be quick. His own erection strained against his belly, leaking profusely as alphas do, and Shiro moaned thinking about how Lance’s mouth must have been filling up with Keith’s own fluids, considering the shorter alpha always had more to offer. He thrust his fingers in a bit more harshly, growling in approval when the omega jolted with pleasure and made a sound around his other mate’s shaft. Forget his own neglected cock, at that point he didn’t care, he wanted the beautiful creature above him to be thoroughly ruined by the both of them so when he left that room even Allura and Coran could smell the stench of claim rolling off of him.

Lance winced at the third finger that breached him, the first sense of an actual sting coming from the stretching surprising him a little. He surfaced for air, but took great care on keeping his parted lips near the head of Keith’s cock as he stroked him slowly, “Gave you a taste” he said, licking up the side of his length again before he went back to mindlessly grinding down against the fingers in his ass, “Want the rest?”

As it was, Keith was hardly containing his more primal urges, that came both from his particular “heritage” and being an alpha, it really didn’t help when once crystal blue looked up at him, so dark and ready and just waiting for him. He heard more than saw Shiro pull his fingers out of Lance, and watched the omega lift himself from his place over Shiro, to laying next to him in such and inviting way, Keith could hardly stop himself from immediately covering the thin, long body with his own, murmuring heated praise against the skin of his throat. “Are you ready?” he finally asked, looking up at Lance, who cast a glance at Shiro before nodding at him, “Good, I’m doing this slow anyway.”

“Don’t worry so much, alpha.” Lance breathed, trying to sound cheeky, but it failed him as he reached for Shiro’s hand, looking for comfort, something to ground him in that moment. He purred happily when the larger alpha squeezed his hand, and even louder when Keith took his other hand in his own before guiding himself into him. Lance whined softly at the intrusion, but it didn’t particularly hurt. Shiro prepared him well. It was just… odd. Made him want to push down onto it but also squirm away, so he stayed put, hardly breathing until Keith stopped, apparently all the way in, and they all let out a breath.

“You look gorgeous, Lance,” Shiro whispered against his ear, and Lance shuddered.

“Move.” He told Keith, blue staring up at purple with such sureness that hardly anyone could refuse, much less the person currently sunk to the hilt inside of him.

Keith offered a soft nod before beginning to move his hips, just a simple push and pull at first, only speeding up when the body under him shuddered out desperate words begging for “more” and “harder”, and Keith thought about how he never saw himself doing this. A few years back, if someone had told them he’d be mated to two gorgeous men, one alpha and one omega, he would have promptly shattered their nose. But, as he shared kisses with Shiro to the sound of his name leaving the plump lips of the man under them, he found he really didn’t want anything more in the world than the two men in his bed right then.

His breath seized up, and he held Lance’s hips as he released, long groan tumbling from his lips as he pulled out just enough to prevent his knot from tying them together. Keeping his promise, but he did shift his hips a bit to make sure Lance was full with his load before falling away, panting hard before he turned to look at his new mate, hands pressing over the omega as he moaned and mewled from Shiro’s hands, that were so cruelly teasing him at the edge but not pushing him forward. “Come on Lance” Keith cooed, setting the omega’s head on his shoulder as Shiro took his place between the trembling, dark thighs, “Let Shiro make you feel good.” He breathed and Lance arched his back as the larger alpha pressed into his sensitive body, making Keith hide a grin against his hair, watching Shiro give a few thrusts before pulling them both up to his broad chest, satisfied purr rumbling in it.

“You’re doing so good, Lance.” He told him, cupping the back of Lance’s head, breathing in the scent of oversensitivity and obvious, desperate need for release, but Shiro wasn’t that close quite yet and he wanted to finish inside him just as Keith had, so Shiro moved to whisper at the other softly, pleased when Keith nodded and wrapped a fist around the base of Lance’s member.

There was a loud whine at thought and Keith smoothed Lance’s hair back gently, even if he was the source of the displeasure that brought on the whine, “Sorry Lance, Shiro needs a little more from you, will you give it to him?” Keith grinned when Lance, obviously beyond words, nodded quickly, suddenly rolling his hips with Shiro even more eagerly than before, if possible, making the older alpha gasp then rut into him even faster.

It wasn’t long for Shiro to be close, and he mindlessly swatted Keith’s hand away from Lance’s member as his thrusts became a little shorter, obviously concentrating on not letting his knot even begin to inflate inside of Lance. The omega cried, cumming all over their bellies without warning, and Shiro groaned at the sudden tightness before he followed along, filling Lance with his own load, catching himself with his hand on either side of the omega’s head before turning them over so he was on Shiro’s chest and Keith was on their side.

Smiling lazily, Lance found his voice, though raspy from all the activity, “Hmm, is now about the right time to tell you both I love you?”

The alphas paused at that, looking to Lance to see if it was some sort of joke before they slowly calmed. Lance would never joke about something like that. He joked about a lot of things, but never like that. They knew he meant it, and as they looked at each other, they realized they felt it too. Sure, Keith and Shiro knew they loved each other, but they never really said it.

There was a first for everything.

“We love you too.” Shiro finally said, hand running down the sweat slick back on top of him with a slight wince. “We should shower.”

Keith snorted next to them, moving to collect Lance into his own arms, letting out a little petulant growl that only calmed when the omega in his arms apparently conked out- breathing soft and even. “You mean you’re getting a wet towel and cleaning us, right?” the alpha said, a threat in his tone, and Shiro just smiled.

“Of course.” He said, gathering his clothes before leaving the room to do as his mate said.


	9. Soothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's anything but.

The heat came and went much faster than they had prepared for. It lasted three days, when everyone had estimated at least a week or more of nothing but wanting, heat, and knotting, yet it was barely past the third day when Lance finally awoke, sated and happy.   
It wasn’t a bad thing, just unusual. Lance said his heats were typically long and unforgiving, his first having lasted a week and a half, and every one after that lasting no less than a week. The omega reasoned with the confused alphas that it was his first heat spent with actual stimuli, especially from two very, very capable lovers. It was enough to seduce the alphas out of their worries and back into bed with their new mate, still feeling the need to keep close to him. But it didn’t stop the rest of the pack, particularly Pidge and Hunk who witnessed Lance’s heat before, from worrying.

The worry subsided, weeks passed before anything really happened. Training, Lance playing with Luis as if he were his actual cub, Shiro and Keith joining in on the play time when it was clear the omega needed his mates to protect “their” cub on a more instinct driven level.

The little thing was learning quickly, calling everyone by name and calling Lance, Shiro and Keith by varying degrees of “dad”. But when referring to all of them, he stilled called them “daddies”, which was frustratingly adorable as Keith put it. Most recently, both Keith and Luis were practically glued to Lance’s side. Not that Shiro wasn’t, but there was this base level instinct about how Luis and Keith went about it, as if they didn’t even realize they were seeking Lance out at all. Lance didn’t seem to notice either, but with a fond smile Shiro shrugged and thought to himself “What else is new?” before letting it slide.

And he would have continued letting it slide, if it hadn’t been for waking up one morning, no mates and no cub in his bed or in his arms as the usually were, and the sound of panicking from down the hall. Shiro rubbed the sleep from his eyes, on edge just with the fact he didn’t have either of his mates there as he had grown so accustomed to. He followed the commotion, ready to bark orders in his testy mood until the scent of bile and distress hit his nose. He locked eyes with a worried Keith that was rubbing at Lance’s hunched back, the sound of retching in his ears as tears flowed down the poor omega’s face. With a tired noise that slipped from his throat unbidden, Lance sat back, cringing as Luis tried to lick at his face, murmuring about how gross it was, before Coran, who Shiro had just noticed was there, handed him a glass of water. 

“Lance?” Shiro asked, gentle as he approached his mates and cub, moving to soothe cold, metal fingers over Lance’s heated face, who instantly relaxed at his other alpha’s touch.

“I can’t keep anything down,” He whined pathetically, purring when Keith smoothed a now purple hand over his mate’s cheek, “Keith can’t stay human.” He added, though not nearly as important. Shiro knew what Keith was, but also knew he didn’t “shift” for nothing. He didn’t like this form, but schooled it most of the time. It could be Lance’s distress making it hard for him to concentrate. After all, Shiro couldn't concentrate himself, as his worry increased exponentially the longer he watched Lance.

“That doesn’t matter,” Keith growled at them, much more animalistic than even Shiro could do, pushing his nose against Lance’s scent gland to try and force the scent of distress away with his affections. “I want you to stop hurting.”

Lance choked on a laugh, obviously still dizzy, head falling against Shiro’s hand, “Mullet head, you can’t just will me into not being sick.”

Shiro smiled faintly, pulling both his mates against his chest and then fitting their cub on his lap, “He probably can and will.” He said, fond, but still worried for his omegan mate. Never would he think that their dynamics would legitimately matter, but he knew nothing of omegas. They could get sick just by missing a kind touch for more than a month, which obviously wasn’t the case with how he and Keith couldn’t keep their hands off of him. He didn’t know if it was caused by him being an omega, or because he was simply sick.

 

 

Clawed fingers dug deep into a soft palm, hands tied behind a fur covered back. While the species liked being upside down for rest, staying like that for hours on end was torture. Not being able to move or eat properly, without feeling like they were choking, was an awful, awful experience. The leader felt nothing short of guilty as she stayed there, ears folding back as the cry of one of her group’s children reverberated against the walls. She couldn’t stand it, she knew what they wanted but even with all the pain they were going through their group would never even entertain the thought of giving the Galra what they wanted.

Haggar growled, approaching the leader, “You ungrateful little freaks of nature. You are traitors to your kind, tell us where it is!”

The leader gnashed her teeth, feeling her own growl bubble up deep within her chest, though it was wheezing from her position of upside down for so long, “You are vile! Your kind was never meant to be so evil!”

Haggar laughed, gripping the leader by the throat and reveling in the horrified screams of the rest of the group, “You are not Galra! We are different, we are better, and I will make sure that little abomination meets its betters and does what it’s meant to do.”

“You will never have him.” The leader hissed, which quickly died in her throat, replaced by a bloody scream as purple sparked harshly around her body.

 

 

Lance sighed, bed rest already making him feel antsy. He wanted to do something, anything, as long as he could get out of the damn bed. Having his mates there and his cub was comforting, but it didn’t change the fact he wanted to, at least, go for a walk around the castle. If he couldn’t stay still at the Garrison why would they ever think he could now? 

“Keith come on just a walk!” Groaning pitifully, Lance pouted and tried to cajole the alpha into considering the thought.

The alpha, still appearing as a Galra, hissed faintly, “No, no walks. We don’t even know what’s wrong with you.”

Luis whined on Lance’s chest and Lance gave Keith a glare, “No hissing, he thinks you’re mad.”

Keith huffed, but kept quiet. He wasn’t mad at Lance or at Luis, he was just mad at the situation. They didn't know what was wrong with Lance, and the idea that his mate might be in danger from an illness, or diseased, weighed heavily on him. He couldn’t do anything about it, and what use was it to be an alpha if he couldn’t fix all that ailed his mates?

Luis pawed at Lance’s chest, “Dada.” He whined and Lance sighed, sitting up a little to reach for the food goo Coran had especially made for his precious cub. He had long learned that chest pawing and “dada” in a whine meant food, now, or he’d climb up some walls. Quite literally, might Lance add, Learning that his cub could climb walls was an experience for sure.

“Ever notice how much Luis looks like you when you’re like this, Keith?” Lance said, absent-minded, as he fed spoonful after spoonful to the small creature on his lap.

Keith stiffened, stared at Luis then moved to look at himself in the mirror. He furrowed his brow before looking back at Lance and their cub, “But he’s not Galra.”

Lance offered a shrug, laughing when Luis got a little goo on his chin, “Well, he’s not purple so I guess not.”

Lance watched with mild interest as the door opened to reveal Shiro, standing with a plate of food goo and a water pack. Looking at the odd sight that made up his family, Shiro almost smiled, thinking about how if this were a dream, he very much did not want to wake up, “I brought you lunch, Lance.”

The omega stared for a long moment, missing the way Luis took the spoon in his mouth and chewed off the end, “For some reason, I really don’t like you right now.” He told the large alpha, watching Keith’s eyes go wide, and the pack in Shiro’s hand drop to the ground.

“Lance!” Shiro said, shocked. For a very selfish moment he thought about throwing his mate under the bus and reminding them of their “rivalry” but refrained. He was not playing the petty game with Lance, he’d lose miserably, “What’s gotten into you?” Shiro was never the one Lance was moody with, it was always Keith. Or Coran. Getting him to blow his top was impossible, but it was never at Shiro; and as wimpy as it may sound it kind of hurt, because he had no idea what he did wrong.

To be fair, Lance looked guilty enough as he makes grabby hands for the alpha, “I don’t know, you’re a good alpha, you both are! I’m just so cranky.”

Shiro sighs and walks over to him, helping him sit properly so he can eat, “That’s fine. We’re all on edge, we still have no idea what’s wrong with you.” Lance sighs at that, Shiro smiled a little and held his cheek, “You’ll be fine.”

“What if it’s an omega thing?” Keith suggested, easily dodging half of a spoon that was tossed his way when Lance decided he didn't like the suggestion. Lance often didn’t stand for Keith’s lack of tact, but recently, he had taken to being a bit more aggressive whenever Keith even stepped a toe out of line with him. Which was a whole new pain for the alpha because he wasn’t exactly one for lines. “I’m serious. What if your heat being short is because you’re suffering something omega related?”

Lance pauses, weighing the possibilities before giving a brief nod. “Doesn’t sound too out there, but I don’t know what it is either! My heats are long normally, this hasn’t happened before.”

Shiro sighed and wrapped his Galra arm around Lance’s waist and holding him close. “Maybe it was from being on suppressants for so long?” he offered before moving to bury his nose in the crook of Lance’s neck.

Lance hummed and studied the fur on Luis’ ears before he looked back up to his mates, “Go ask Pidge, I have a theory but they can tell me if I’m cuckoo or not.”

 

 

“What are the symptoms again?” Pidge asked once more, with the scent of amusement taking up the entire room. It made Keith extremely frustrated and Shiro was just plain uncomfortable, like he had missed something. Heck, knowing Pidge, he probably had.

“Well-“ Shiro started but Keith didn’t let him finish, slamming his hands down in front of the beta and snarling.

“Stop playing games! If you know what’s wrong with our mate, just fucking tell us!” His claws dug into the floor and Pidge watched with interest as he actually pierced it.

“Fine, guess I had my fun.” Pidge said, sitting up straighter and pushing their glasses up their nose, “Think, long and hard. Morning sickness that happens at any time, lower back pain, and odd cravings. What does that sound like?”

Keith pressed his lips together, because honestly how was he supposed to know? That was why they had come to them in the first place! 

“Oh.” Shiro said and moved to grip Keith’s shoulder, ripping him from the floor and pressing him into his chest and under his chin. “Oh!”

“What?” Keith barked, quite literally, he barked the words. He could practically feel Pidge filing it away to tease him with later, but he just wanted to know if his mate was okay or not.

And apparently he had said that out loud because Pidge clapped their hands happily and in maybe the most annoying sing song voice Keith had ever heard, they answered his question, “Lance is pregnant!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I now have a beta, the amazing Ryn! They're wonderful and we're working on the older chapters to improve them so all the writing matches up from here on out. Newer chapters will be slower, but I wanted to put this one up to warn you all.


	10. Crashing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Paladin knows they are replaceable, a parent knows they are not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made myself sad
> 
> Stop me I'm a monster

The absolute elation was short lived. There was still a war, Zarkon was still unrelenting and there was little they could do but win enough battles to make the Galra sweat. If they went to Earth, they risked leading the enemy home. If the paladins went anywhere that wasn’t already under Zarkon’s thumb, they risked destroying an entire planet’s way of life.  
Had Lance become pregnant on Earth, it would be celebrated. His mother and sister would be buying him baby clothes, and there would be stacks of diapers by the mile. Lance was a popular guy, after all. But this wasn’t Earth, and having a pregnant paladin wasn’t a good thing. This was space, where there was little room for rest, and almost no freedom from the Galra. It wasn’t a place for a baby.

Shiro was nearly on cloud nine, crushing Lance against his chest and purring with approval whenever the omega leaned up to scent him. Happiness was too mild of a word for what he felt, and Shiro made sure that Lance knew that. Unfortunately, while Shiro was celebrating, Keith was thinking about every little thing that could go wrong, ignoring the annoyed sounds Red made through their bond. He didn’t care, his mate was pregnant with their pup in the middle of a god damned war, and they were the front lines in that war.

“Lance, Shiro,” Keith looked to them, watching them slowly pull away from their little two man party. He almost felt guilty to ruin it, “Are you forgetting we’re fighting? In a space war?”

In response to the questions, Shiro frowned. He hadn’t expected it to be brought up so quickly. By no means was the alpha clueless, he knew exactly what dangers lurked, but he figured soaking in the fact that his mate was pregnant, wouldn’t hurt anyone. Keith, of course, wouldn’t let himself get caught up in it, when there was so much that could go wrong, “I haven’t forgotten, Keith. Just wanted to celebrate a little before I really thought about it.”

It wasn’t the best excuse, he knew. As the eldest he should have been thinking about the possibility of this not turning out the way they wanted it to. That would have been the responsible thing to do, however, for once, Shiro wanted to bask in the joy and be irresponsible. Just for a moment. Before he let the impending doom of the situation take hold of what should have been a joyous moment.

Lance looked between Keith and Shiro. The older, and larger, of his two mates stood up taller and squared his jaw, his human hand clenching. In response, Keith straightened his shoulders, his eyes narrowing, and nostrils flaring. The body language of the two alphas practically screamed at Lance of an imminent argument, and he cleared his throat, whispering into Luis’ fuzzy ear to go find Allura or Pidge, before sending the little cub off. The kid had been through enough, he didn’t need to hear how good two of his daddies were at screaming matches.

“Keith-“ he started, but the alpha cut him off with a feral growl.

“No!” Keith barked, before Lance could even get a word in, watching the omega’s jaw snap shut, “Don’t you get it? That’s our cub inside of you Lance. If you go into battle did you really think me or Shiro could even function without being stuck to your side? We’d go alpha before the Galra even knew we were in the general vicinity.”

The omega gripped the sheets in his hands, feeling Azul nudging the back of his mind, telling Lance that his mate was right. He didn’t need her to tell him, Lance knew Keith was right, but fuck, what would they even do? “I’m almost two months in, Keith. What would you like to have me do, then?” the fact he phrased it as if Keith was the one that decided everything he did, was not lost on the alphas, “Do I just give it up?”

Silence followed, thick and suffocating. Lance held the sheets hard enough that, if he had claws, he probably would have ripped them already. Shiro had a hand on the omega’s thigh, staring at nothing as the thought of Lance giving up their cub rushed through his mind. Keith, well, Keith was just horrified.

“That’s” Keith swallowed thickly, moving towards his mate and running his fingers through Lance’s hair, ears pressed back guiltily, “No, Lance. If you don’t want to have a cub it’s your choice, I would never…. I would never try to force you to give up your cub.”

It took Lance a moment to process the fact the alpha wasn’t trying to get rid of their baby; a moment of his instincts and his logical mind catching up with each other before he offered a broken purr and pressed into the hand on his head, “I don’t know what to do, Keith. We need Voltron, but I can’t pilot like this…. But I also want this cub so, so bad.”

Shiro’s frozen hand was now moving gently up the form of Lance’s thigh, the alpha feeling a cool rush of relief knowing that their omega felt no need to rid himself of their cub. It was mostly instincts that drove that relief, and it made him feel a bit guilty himself. He would never force either of his mates into something they weren’t ready for, but his instincts were yearning for a cub. “And I want it too, we can figure this out.” He gave Keith a significant look before turning back to Lance, kissing him softly, “We won’t let you or our cub get hurt.”

Lance nodded and kissed both alphas gently, tugging Keith and Shiro into bed with him so they could both curl around him. True to his nature, Lance still wanted all of his mates’ attentions, especially since they took to massaging his sides and belly. “Hmm, keep doing that and I’m falling asleep on both of you.”

Shiro smiled and tucked Lance’s head up onto his shoulder, “Go ahead, we won’t mind.”

Keith nodded in agreement, pecking at Lance’s scent glands, “You need to rest anyway.”

And he slept.

 

 

Pidge had Rover shadow Luis as he climbed up yet another wall, to high for them to get to. They knew bringing him to Allura was the only way to calm him, but the little piece of-….. precious angel from above had evil little claws. As much as they hated to admit it, they were a kid too at fourteen, taking care of little kids wasn’t their forte as the youngest in the family. Matt could have probably handled this so much better, but he wasn’t the green paladin, or Luis’ babysitter and god parent, that was Pidge’s job now. Which sucked because they were pretty sure Luis just drooled in their hair from above.

“Allura, I swear to fucking-“ they stopped themself, half expecting Lance or Shiro to rise from the floor itself and chastise them for cursing in front of the cub. But when that didn’t happen they let out a breath and stared up at the fuzzy creature, “I don’t know what you are, but when you’re in your teens, I hope you go through the cringiest phases guided by your dads for this.” Said ‘this’ being the now grossly sticky spot at the crown of their head. Rover helped plenty by nudging the little gremlin back down so Pidge could get a handle on him.

The fact they just called another living being gremlin when that was their proud title amongst the team was not lost on them.

Just as Pidge was wondering just how bad it would be to lock the devil himself in a room, Allura rounded a corner and nearly knocked into them, surprised to see Pidge looking so out of sorts.

“Are you alright?” she glanced at Luis in the Paladin’s arms and smiled a little, covering him with her hand, “Giving you a hard time is he?” she asked, holding her arms out for him.

Pidge was all too happy to thrust the kid into the princess’ arms, watching with narrowed eyes as Luis settled in like he hadn’t just clawed through Pidge’s shirt, and nearly their only good bra. “Oh, he’s just an absolute gift from above, that one.” They huffed and crossed their arms, “I feel like the forgotten middle child."

Allura raised an eyebrow, quick to let go of Luis, as soon as he settled up against her side and curled tiny, furred fists into her dress. “Ah, so you do accept Lance, Shiro, and Keith as parental figures?”

“No, I-“ then they stopped, crossing their arms and trying their damndest not to pout, “Okay, maybe Lance and Shiro. Keith is like that one uncle who does really cool things, but is weird as hell.” Pidge sighed rubbing at their temples, “I don’t know, Allura. Cubs shouldn’t grow up with guns to their heads.” They motioned in Luis’ general direction before pointing behind them, but Allura know what they meant.

“Altean children always grew up in peace, when the war started I’m sure many of them did not even know they could bleed.” Allura sighed wistfully, nodding to invite Pidge to follow as she walked. When she saw they did, she kept speaking, “We trained for sports, nothing more. We had an army for defense, we never initiated anything. Creating Voltron was simply a question of “Can we do it?”, it was not needed. Not at the time.” She paused at the door of the common room, letting Pidge squeeze by first, “The thought of my friends’ own children not only being born into war, but the very real possibility of them never knowing their parents, sickens me.”

Pidge nodded along. Allura always knew how to put such complex thoughts into words. No one wanted to think about anyone dying, especially not Pidge when they thought of their family, or the people they considered family now, but it was a real thing that could happen. Only proven by each time one of them fell in battle hard enough to need days in a cryopod. It hardly ever took that long, but with a highly impulsive Keith, and a self sacrificing Lance on the team, anything was possible.  
“Yeah, I know. It’s so much harder to think about it. Because the universe didn’t have a face before, you know? Just some people we met along the way. You could pretend everyone just… wasn’t depending on you.” They looked to Luis, now forcing himself up under Allura’s arm, “But now we have one, possibly two, someones who are totally dependent on us making it back at the end of the day.”

Allura gazed at the creature under her arm, thinking about how, just years prior, Pidge must have looked like this, clinging to their older brother or their parents. How Pidge was an actual child standing in front of her now, contemplating death and its repercussions, as if they weren’t afraid to die. It was horrifying and relieving all at once, Pidge was a good Paladin. She always knew they would be.

But it was little comfort when she was sending a child, and an unborn child, into the line of fire.

Even with all that warring in her mind, all she could do was lock on the eyes of the innocent alien in her hold, and say, “I know."


	11. Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For all Lance convinces himself his dynamic isn't an issue, sometimes it can be. 
> 
> Trust Hunk not to let it get there.

Something was wrong. Well, not actually wrong, just off. Lance was now three months along, and there was nothing that he wanted more than to throw himself into his alphas’ arms and make love until he dropped. Of course, Shiro and Keith could not complain about their mate’s enthusiasm, but honestly, it was getting ridiculous.  
Lance was squirming on Shiro’s lap, bouncing lightly on the cock buried in his hole while the alpha's thighs shook. This was the third time and with no breaks in between he could hardly handle the omega's energy. Keith lay next to them, lazily stroking his own cock, which was still wet from his own session with Lance earlier. He cooed at Shiro, leaning up to pet at his hair as Lance rode the poor alpha into oblivion.

“Yes, yes, yes, yes.” Lance chanted, feeling the cock inside of him inflate with a knot and lock them together. He was a happy, purring mess when warmth filled his belly for what felt like the millionth that day. “Oh fuck.” He slurred falling back onto Shiro’s chest who gave a grunt and gripped his hip.

“Mercy.” Shiro murmured, tugging Lance’s chin up to kiss him anyway. By now, he might as well resign himself to his fate of a greedy omega on his lap, not like it was a bad one. He was more than willing, but so sensitive he could hardly handle it.

Keith snorted and moved to pet both his mates before settling up between Lance and Shiro’s legs, “Now I’m hard again, and you” he poked Lance’s chest, “Are to blame.”

Lance hummed and wiggled until Shiro’s cock slid out of him, the slide easier now with how loose and wet he was, but it didn’t stop either of them from mourning the loss. Low whines building in their chests, before Lance turned his attention to Keith again. “I take full responsibility.” The omega declared breathlessly, not even bothering to roll off of Shiro as he spread his legs for the other alpha.

“You would.” Keith jabbed back, but it lacked any heat as he easily slipped into the omega’s willing body, loose from both his alphas and the many rounds but still fitting Keith’s cock just so, the squeeze feeling unbearable and delicious all at once. “Fuck, Lance, look at you.”

Shiro hummed from beneath them, hands moving to grip at Lance’s thighs and spread them wider for Keith. As much as he enjoyed the ecstasy on both his mates’ faces and in their scent, he really wanted to take a bath and cuddle afterwards. Possibly sleep for days on end to recover from Lance’s little mating frenzy. “Yeah, look at you Lance, so ready for us even though we’ve ruined you all day, all you want is your alphas huh?” Shiro muttered into the omega’s jaw, his own thighs shaking while he bucked up as if he were the one getting fucked by Keith and not Lance.  
Both Keith and Lance whined at the movement, willing to ignore Shiro’s cute attempt at dirty talk, in favor of shamelessly rutting against each other. Keith’s thrusts were desperate, searching for that sweet release. His ears pressed back, meaning he was close, and Lance took it upon himself to offer filthy encouragements that nearly had Shiro stirring for a fourth time. Nearly. They were all young and had great stamina to go with it, but honestly, if Shiro came one more time he swore he’d drop dead right there.

Keith teetered on the edge with Lance, and only allowed himself to fall when the omega fell, cumming all over his belly as Keith finally let himself fill the omega again. “Fuck, Lance.” He grunted, knot nudging into the omega. He knew better than to let it lock properly, seeing how the position wouldn’t help any of them, but the illusion of it did help fully satisfy them both. Once they rode over the last of their aftershocks, Keith slowly pulled out, shuffling to lay next to both his mates.

Shiro let Lance close his legs, petting at the omega’s hip as he spoke, “Would you like to explain why we just had a marathon of possibly the most amazing sex ever?”

Keith breathlessly agreed about the sex part, blindly patting next to him until he felt his palm smack the curve of Lance’s nose, “Yeah what was that? I mean I’m not complaining, I don’t think anyone could complain, but fuck, Lance.”

Lance grunted and pushed Keith’s hand away, “Oh no, no more fucking Lance. Fuck each other and I’ll watch if you want, but I think I just legitimately saw God.”

Shiro smiled wide at that, hardly choking back a chuckle as he cuddled both his mates closer, “Amen.”

“Okay, but answer the question, Lance.” Keith said, smacking Lance’s forehead the second time he moved his hand to pat around for his face.

The omega shrugged, happy to cuddle up against the larger of the three, muttering something about a godly chest before he actually answered, “I think it comes with being pregnant? Like, with my weird cravings for food, I want sex, a lot.”

Keith didn’t seem convinced, but Shiro did. The large alpha still had enough strength to hoist both Lance and Keith over his shoulders while making his way to the showers, despite Keith’s indignant squawk, “We can check in with Coran later to make sure there isn’t anything strange about the cub, right now we need a shower, and frankly, I want to sleep.”

They couldn’t really argue with that.

 

“I saw God, Hunk, I’m telling you.” Lance was saying, sitting comfortably on Hunk’s knee while the larger tinkered with one of Pidge’s projects.

“Lance, stop.” Hunk said, trying really hard not to picture his best buddy, the pack alpha and the pack’s second in command in bed. “Please. I’m serious, I can’t handle this, and help Pidge with their stuff!” he had long since stopped trying to tell Lance what exactly they were doing. It’s not like everyone was an engineer. Even Shiro gave them that indulgent smile that meant he had no idea what the fuck was happening, but well, as long as it made them happy.

Lance snorted at him, picking up a screw and offering it to Hunk when he began to pat around for it, muttering a ‘You’re welcome’ as he did before beginning to chatter, “But like, they haven’t been all that involved with each other you know?”

That made Hunk pause, forgetting his embarrassment, to look at Lance fully now, “What?”

“You know, I think they’re afraid of leaving me out. But I wouldn’t really mind, I mean I’m pregnant, not like they can get rid of me now.” The smile the Cuban gave was tight lipped and it made Hunk stop tinkering all together.

“Lance,” he started, setting a broad hand on the other’s shoulder blade, “Keith and Shiro are your mates, they wouldn’t leave you regardless.” Hunk said, voice stern, “Do they know you feel like this?”

Lance looked down at his hands, now twined together in his lap, “Not really. I don’t give them the chance to even talk before it’s like I’m in a pseudo heat again and need them. Not much room to talk after that.”

And then it all clicked, Hunk openly groaning at the absolute idiot in his lap as he hugged him close, “Of course! You’re pregnant!”

“Wow, thanks, I hadn’t noticed.” Lance replied dryly and patted the slight pudge of his belly pointedly. 

“No, you don’t get it! You three aren’t fully bonded right?” Hunk seemed far too excited, and Lance just nodded numbly at him. “Your body is trying to get them to bond with you!”

“Oh.” Lance’s brows furrowed and he crossed his arms, “Well, why haven’t they?”

Hunk raised a brow at him, “Have you asked?”

The omega opened his mouth then snapped it shut, pouting as he shook his head, “I told them to wait until my next heat.” he admitted. 

“Lance, they’re respecting the boundary you set. Unset it, or you’re gonna get messed up.” Hunk said seriously, patting Lance’s hair and humming when the other purred.

“Fine, you’re right, there’s a reason you and Pidge are geniuses.” Lance was still pouting though, because honestly, he hated asking for things when it was his instincts doing the talking. 

He liked control, not primal need. It’s why, in the past, he mostly went after female alphas. They hardly had an effect on his instincts and he could appreciate their forms. He also liked male omegas best to flirt with. Mostly betas and female identifying alphas though. He knew few male omegas, most of which he was actually related to, so that hardly ever went as planned. Male alphas always made him uncomfortable, his instincts went haywire around them, and he hated that. Of course, with Keith and Shiro, he didn’t mind because he loved them, but he also didn’t want to bond with them just because his body was convinced they were “las ultimas coca colas del desierto” and wanted to be bonded badly enough to send him into a god damned fake heat.

But also he had been spending far too much time away from his precious little Luis in favor of his mates, that bonding seemed like the best option for all involved.

 

 

Keith wasn’t even using a weapon with the guardian anymore. Even though Lance was ready to exhaust them in bed for hours on end, Keith still felt restless. His Galran form felt fatigue differently than his human one. He didn’t sweat, but needed to drink more water than would be normal for a human or Altean. His muscles didn’t strain the same. Instead of a lasting burn that should have been excruciating by then, he felt numb. Possibly something for survival, he didn’t know or care. He was exhausted of not being exhausted. He slammed an open palm onto the center of the guardian’s chest, watching it crumple under the weight of the hit.

Before he could start up yet enough session, a calm voice chimed over his panting, “Stop.” And the guardian stood down.

Keith whipped around, ready to spew venom at whoever it was, when he saw it was Allura. Any other day, he’d spew the venom regardless, but thought of Shiro and held back. “Anything you need, Princess?” he tried not to bark, he tried really hard not to bark. He deserved a pat on the back from Shiro and a high five from Lance for trying… Never mind he failed miserably.

Allura raised a challenging eyebrow and the alpha in Keith knew better than to find out what the challenge was, “No, but you’ve been here far too long. While it is good you are training, didn’t you all agree that breaks are only human?”

“I’m not human.” This time, he didn’t even attempt to hide the bark. Allura’s other eyebrow joined the first near her hairline.

“You still need rest.” She responded coolly, moving to pat him on the back, probably harder than she would have any of the others and Keith would deny fervently that he stumbled from it. “What's troubling you?”

Keith pressed his lips together, wincing when his fangs nicked them. He’d never get used to that. Both Lance and Shiro had been pricked enough times to prove that he was a stranger in his own body, “I can’t get over my need to protect Lance, Shiro, and Luis.” He stated, looking back towards the training room, wanting to just get back and slam his fist against something so he didn’t feel so useless.

“I understand.” The princess said, and he snapped his head up to bark something about how she didn’t but the look on her face stopped him.

Because she understood perfectly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alphas can't always keep it together.


End file.
